Northland Foundation Holds Early Care and Education Summit Key Leaders Summit On Early Care and Education The Northland Foundation welcomed 250 leaders from 45 communities, including all 32 northeastern Minnesota school districts and the Grand Portage and Fond du Lac Reservations, for a Key Leaders Summit on Early Care and Education on April 4. Participants, including superintendents, school board members, principals, business leaders, city councilors, law enforcement officials, and representatives from health care, social services, faith, and early care and education, learned about Minnesota's early care and education movement. "Mounting research has shown that quality early childhood programs can reduce social and educational costs," said Tom Reiner, foundation president. "We need to seize the opportunities to ensure the healthy growth and development of our youngest citizens by investing in our most valuable asset: the future success of our children." The keynote speaker, David Lawrence Jr., president of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation and University Scholar for Early Childhood Development and Readiness at the University of Florida, spoke about strategies to engage community leaders around early education and shared lessons from Florida's Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) initiative. Other topics were "Why Early Childhood Matters," "Making It Happen For The Kids," "Moving To Action Now" and "Calling for Business Needle-Movers." Attendees were urged to complete a commitment card to indicate how they will help advance early care and education, from sharing what they learned at the summit to contacting legislators to reading to young children. "In a recent statewide poll, Minnesota voters placed early care and education as a top priority for the state on par with improving public education," said Lynn Haglin, foundation vice president and KIDS PLUS director. "I believe this gathering of key leaders will help further unite our region to make certain our youngest citizens have access to the highest quality experiences in their first five years." For more information about the summit, visit the Northland Foundation website. The foundation awarded 59 grants to support early childhood development and help students succeed in their transition to high school during the first quarter of 2006. The Birch Grove Foundation will use $8,000 to initiate a preschool program, while the Scottish Rite Foundation received $21,160 to partner with the Duluth Head Start Program for early language intervention and treatment. Another $21,000 will support the implementation of a parent education component at early childhood screenings in 28 school districts across northeastern Minnesota. The foundation also awarded $26,725 to implement and expand LINK Crew programs, which have been proven to help schools create a welcoming environment, positive connections and peer support for incoming students, at four high schools. For a complete list of grants awarded, visit the Northland Foundation website (PDF file). > More headlines

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