In the Arena with NOW

What does it look like to engage with community stakeholders to co-design a community plan for revitalization that authentically centers the needs of the local neighborhood? In our 14th episode we feature Austin Neighborhood Network, located in the largest geographic neighborhood of Chicago, to learn more about their participatory efforts to collectively transform their community. Listen in to learn more from Jose Abonce, Ruth Kimb...

What does it look like to create a trauma-informed early care and education community? Why is centering parent leaders critical to achieving this vision? In our 13th episode, we learn about the innovative work that the Essex County Council for Young Children (ECCYC) is leading to foster meaningful cross-sector partnerships between agencies and parents to create healthy, thriving, and resilient communities. Based in Newark, New Jers...

How can providers honor the children and caregivers they work with as the experts of their own lives? In our 12th episode we feature Brazelton Touchpoints Center, located in Boston, Massachusetts, to learn about shifting to mental models that honor the dignity of children and their caregivers, a key strategy for creating a sustainable world where children grow up to be thriving adults in their local community. Listen along as we he...

What are the critical components of a successful workforce development program? The Family Engagement Network (FEN), located in Pima County Arizona, is leading the way in a holistic and family-centered approach to supporting caregivers and their families to empower themselves through the opportunity to build critical workforce skills. In our 11th episode, we hear from Lorena, a parent champion in the workforce program, who shares h...

Episodio 10: Adelante, Adelante: El movimiento hacia la justicia del idioma y la equidad

Con sede en el condado de Jefferson, Colorado, la coalición Adelante es una red de familias, agencias y organizaciones que toma en cuenta la voz de la comunidad LatinX y hace decisiones con respecto a la salud y la educación. En nuestro décimo episodio, presentamos nuestro primer podcast bilingüe en el que practicamos la justicia del idioma habl...

How can we use data to tell community stories and create actionable change? What is the role of narrative in advancing equitable policies that improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families? In our ninth episode, we explore these questions with Allison Bovell-Ammon and Dr. Megan Sandel of Children’s HealthWatch (CHW). Headquartered at Boston Medical Center, CHW is a nonpartisan network of pediatricians, public heal...

What would it look like if every community had the resources and support to be in charge of their own change and transformation? The Voices and Choices for Children coalition has been working to drive equitable processes for improving childhood health, educational, and economic outcomes, as well as improving the representation and leadership of communities of color and American Indian communities across the state of Minnesota by pa...

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) works with a diverse network of communities and partners to reduce breastfeeding disparities among African American women and to strengthen the health and wellbeing of babies and families, particularly in communities of color. In our seventh episode, we speak with Andrea Serano of ROSE and learn about their multi-pronged approach to transforming the breastfee...

Based in Berkeley County, South Carolina, the Berkeley Early Education and Care Collective (BEE Collective) and its network of partners are working to create a system of care for social and emotional development that can support the wellbeing of families and communities at large. In our sixth episode, we speak with members of the BEE Collective and learn about the powerful efforts they are leading to advance equity, align systems, ...

Based in Navajo Nation, New Mexico, the McKinley County Early Childhood Coalition (MCECC) seeks to eliminate health disparities and improve the wellbeing of American Indians and Alaska Natives in their community. In our fifth episode, we learn from members of MCECC about the transformative efforts they are leading to promote healthy, prosperous, and empowered Native children and families, grounded in honoring their indigenous cultu...

What does it take to tackle intergenerational poverty and ensure that all children have the best start in life to thrive? The West Philadelphia Action for Early Learning & Partners (AFEL) have been working to bring together critical partners, caregivers, and community stakeholders to ensure that families in Philadelphia have equitable access to quality early care and education opportunities. Led by Action for Early Learning at ...

Why are leaders of color imperative for improving early care and education systems? Based in Alameda County, California, the California Consortium for Equity in Early Childhood Education is taking on the critical challenge of interrupting inequities and systemic racism in early care and education by cultivating a new generation of leaders that are representative of the children and families they serve. In our third episode, we lear...

How can focusing on listening and relationship building with families strengthen early childhood system of care? In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Young Child Wellness Council (YCWC) has undertaken the critical work of shifting paradigms and processes to more fully center the voices, experiences, and wisdom of families in shaping efforts that promote the physical, as well as social and emotional, health and well being of infants, young c...

How can learning about each others’ stories foster healthier communities? In our inaugural episode, we explore the history of the Vital Village Network (VVN) in Boston and one of its central community-led initiatives, the Social Justice Mediation Program (SJMP). Entering its 6th year, SJMP has trained hundreds of community members in conflict resolution skills that can be used at home, in the workplace, in schools, and beyond. We s...