Community Newsletter

Have you seen the news?

On July 28, Learn to Earn Dayton, Preschool Promise and a host of amazing partners “revealed” the Mosaic of Hope adjacent to the soon-to-be-completed Hope Center for Families in Northwest Dayton. The in-ground mosaic is a play space made of 15,000 pieces of tile and is our second POP Spot —short for Play on Purpose — where families can learn and play with their children.(Check out the other at the Gem City Market plaza.) In time, we hope more POPSpots will dot our community in parks, at bus stops, in grocery stores and elsewhere.

The idea for a Mosaic of Hope, created by The Mosaic Institute of Greater Dayton,was unveiled at the 2021 Readiness Summit when both our community and country were reeling from COVID-19. The goal was to draw inspiration and hope from the brokenness caused by the pandemic.

Thank you to the Mosaic of Hope’s generous sponsors: Omega Community Development Corporation, Omega Baptist Church, Leadership Dayton, Ernst Concrete and Baker Concrete, and also for the leadership counsel of What Works Cities.
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Our other great news is that, thanks to the City of Dayton, Preschool Promise is now able to enroll families with 3-year-olds who live in the City of Dayton or reside in Dayton Public School District boundaries. This expansion will allow us to assist more children and families, offering support for two years of high quality Preschool for Dayton young learners. Thank you to Dayton’s City Commission for its steadfast commitment to families!

Robyn Lightcap

Executive Director

Preschool Promise families recently received their free Book-of-the-Month, I Got the Rhythm, by Connie Schofield-Morrison. We’re so grateful to the Muse Machine, our partner in play this month, which has created this fun and clever video. Young learners will get a fun lesson in phonics and movement — and they’ll also learn about improvising! Thank you to Beth and Violet Wright.

We’re thrilled that Sandra Raye-Redmond has joined Preschool Promise as Director of Quality Education. She’ll lead our work to provide early childhood educators great training and professional development. Great teachers make all the difference in getting children ready to start Kindergarten ontrack — not behind.

Emily Broughton is our new Director of Marketing and Community Outreach. She’s directing our work to make sure that families know about the power of Preschool and will support our energetic outreach team — led by Shelly Davies who recently joined us full-time.

Crystal Howard is our new Quality Coaching Specialist. With over 20 years of experience in early childhood education, she will be focusing on increasing child outcomes and supporting teachers using CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System).

To learn more about Sandra, Emily, Shelly and Crystal, click here.

We’re also hiring for a new position — Director of Program Innovation.
This individual will help with new initiatives and programs to assist young children and families, particularly focusing on eliminating racial inequities. It’s a great opportunity to make a huge difference! Learn more here, and send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]..

Do you know someone who is interested in becoming an early childhood educator or going back to school to earn an early education credential or college degree? James Cosby, our Career Advisor, can help individuals create a customized education pathway to succeed in the field — without going in debt.

Email James or set up an appointment with him by clicking here.  

Do you or someone you know have ideas about how to better support families with young children? Learn to Earn Dayton, in partnership with Preschool Promise, is looking for people to help recommend ways to serve families and children better. Committee members will serve for one year starting this month and will receive a stipend. Email Hope Vuto to learn more.  

 

Our awesome Outreach Specialists are continuing to spread the word about Preschool Promise. This month they’ll be at farmers’ markets, library story times and community events. Stop by and say hello!

If you have an event you’d like us to attend, reach out to Shelly Davies.

Congress is deciding whether to make a major investment in child care. Our partner Groundwork Ohio is making it easy to reach out to lawmakers to tell them how important building a strong early learning system is for children, families and employers. Click here and in less than 90 seconds, you can tell all of your representatives in Washington that you support investing in young children. You can personalize your message or share a ready-made email.

Last school year when so many children weren’t able to attend Preschool, we created Preschool Promise PLUS, which, among other benefits, provided families with a free tablet and subscription to the popular learning app ABC Mouse. We provided over 1,500 tablets to families, and our usage reports showed that older children were using the devices to keep up with school work, too!

Now with most students able to return to in-person learning, we’re wrapping up Preschool Promise PLUS and will not be distributing tablets this year. But because ABC Mouse was so popular with families, we’re extending current subscriptions through December. Have fun continuing to learn, kiddos!