WEPOWER

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (ECE) INITIATIVES Our ECE work aims to achieve universal access to quality, free, and joyful early learning experiences for children ages 0-5. A major goal is to secure approximately $100 million in sustainable public funding to address the regional ECE crisis. We launched power-building hubs to activate families and educators, encouraging them to use the Early Childhood Playbook and become civically engaged. These efforts have included educating and mobilizing voters to build a strong community coalition, working to win the necessary public investments, and creating a thriving ECE system. We also launched a regional research and planning effort that included gathering up-to-date data on the number of children aged five and under, the number of seats that exist, the gaps, the true cost of care, and an implementation plan to close the access gap. Additionally, we engaged in education and advocacy to achieve changes that improve access to quality child care education.