Gradnation Community Summits

GradNation Community Summits

Early Childhood Toolkit

Guide Content

1. Introduction

2. Resources & Best Practices (GradNation.org)

3. Speaker Recommendations

4. Additional Alliance Partners

5. Multi-Media and Suggested Reading 6. Summit Conveners

1. Introduction Today’s American students are less prepared than their parents, or their international peers, to be productive citizens, neighbors, and taxpayers. To overcome these challenges, we must focus on fixing the problem at the beginning of a child's life, when the returns to society and the child are the greatest. At just three years of age, children of poor parents use fewer than half the words spoken by their wealthier peers. By kindergarten entry, many low-income children are so far behind that they will repeat grades, struggle through school, and never graduate. This has dire consequences for state and federal budgets, public safety, and the nation’s economic competitiveness; children who lack a strong start disproportionately grow to be adults who are unhealthy, unemployed or earning lower wages, paying fewer taxes, and relying more on public services. Investing in smart early childhood policies reaps returns today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

2. Resources & Best Practices Visit the Early Childhood Channel at http://gradnation.org where you will find a large variety of resources and best practices on this topic.

3. Speaker recommendations Below is a sampling of speaker recommendations for this topic. If you would like to find out more about a specific speaker or discuss additional speaker options, please contact your Summit Manager.

Academics/Economists W. Steven Barnett Director National Institute for Early Education Research Topics: New research on early education achievement outcomes, tackling the fade-out criticism

Steve Barnett is a Board of Governors Professor and Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. His research includes studies of the economics of early care and education, including costs and benefits, the long-term effects of preschool programs on children's learning and development, and the distribution of educational opportunities. Dr. Barnett earned his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Michigan. He has authored or co- authored over 180 publications. Research interests include the economics of human development and practical policies for translating research findings into effective public investments. His best known works include: reviews of the research on long-term effects; benefit-cost analyses of the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian programs; randomized trials comparing alternative approaches to educating children including length of day, monolingual versus dual-language immersion, the Tools of the Mind curriculum; and the series of State Preschool Yearbooks providing annual state-by-state analyses of progress in public pre-K.

Rob Grunewald Economist Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: No Topics: Primarily economic research and the business case for investing in early childhood education. Comfortable covering some material on neuroscience and the role of business leaders.

Rob Grunewald conducts regional economic research and co-authors the Minneapolis Fed’s “Beige Book” report on current economic conditions. He also writes articles on the regional economy and other economics and banking issues for the fedgazette and The Region, two periodicals published by the Minneapolis Fed. Grunewald regularly speaks to businesses, community groups, and school groups about the Federal Reserve and the regional economy. He co-authored “Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return” (January 2003), an economic policy paper which has been featured in the media, legislative hearings, and seminars throughout the United States.

Early Childhood Toolkit 2 Grunewald serves on the board of directors for Think Small: Leaders in Early Learning and the Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency, belongs to the advisory board for First Children’s Finance Growth Fund, and acts as vice president for the Minnesota Economic Association.

Grunewald holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and religion from St. Olaf College and a master’s degree in applied economics from the University of Minnesota.

David L. Kirp Professor, Public Policy University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: Negotiable Topics: Economics, neuroscience, genetics, developmental psychology, politics of early childhood, early education and the kids-first agenda, why early education is a good investment Note: Prefers to have an “on-stage” conversation (Charlie Rose format) with members of the group or invited journalist.

David Kirp, professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, is a policy consultant and former newspaper editor as well as an academic. His interests range widely across policy and politics. In seventeen books and scores of articles in the popular press and scholarly journals, he has tackled some of America’s biggest social problems, including affordable housing, health, gender discrimination, and AIDS. His main focus has been education and children’s policy, spanning the age range from cradle and preschool to college and career.

His latest book, Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America's Schools, was named outstanding book of 2013 by the American Education Research Association. That book, as well as Kids First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming the Lives of Children (Public Affairs 2011) and The Sandbox Investment (Harvard 2007), uses rich examples to show the pivotal importance of early childhood education and suggests a strategy for making that issue a national priority. Excerpts and opinion pieces have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The American Prospect, and The Nation.

He is a graduate of Amherst College and is a former trustee of both Amherst and Harvard Law School. At the Goldman School of Public Policy at Berkeley, he launched the New Community Fund to promote greater student diversity, and has underwritten two other fellowships to support future policy analysts and activists.

Advocacy Leaders Wil Blechman Past President Kiwanis International Miami, FL

Early Childhood Toolkit 3 Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: No Topics: Neuroscience of early childhood, the business case for early childhood investment

Dr. Wil Blechman, a graduate of Yale University and of the Medical College of Virginia, trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital prior to entering the private practice of rheumatology in 1961. That year, he also became a member of the Kiwanis Club of North Miami Beach and has subsequently maintained a strong interest in community affairs, becoming the Florida Governor for Kiwanis in 1977-78 and President of Kiwanis International in 1990-91.

Dr. Blechman is Board Certified in both internal medicine and rheumatology and is an Emeritus Fellow of the American College of Physicians as well as of the American College of Rheumatology. He practiced medicine in North Miami Beach for 34 years and participated in research in the field of rheumatology. In 1985 he was selected as Physician of the Year by the Dade County Medical Association.

As President of Kiwanis International, Dr. Blechman helped in the development of one of its major programs, “Young Children: Priority One,” which focuses on preschool children. As a result of his research into the field of young children and his belief in its crucial importance, Dr. Blechman left his medical practice in 1994 in order to devote his efforts to advocating on behalf of children and explaining their needs to the public and to policy makers. Dr. Blechman has received numerous awards for his services and was specially recognized for the impact his efforts had on the increased immunization rate in Florida for children under two. He is listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in Education, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World.

David Lawrence Jr. President Early Childhood Initiative Foundation Former Publisher The Miami Herald Travel Expenses Required: Yes Miami, FL Honorarium: $5,000, which is used to make contributions to early learning programs. Topics: Return on investment of early learning, case for this being an imperative for the future of children and country.

David Lawrence retired in 1999 as publisher of The Miami Herald to work in the area of early childhood development and readiness. He is president of The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation and “University Scholar for Early Childhood Development and Readiness” at the University of Florida. He leads The Children’s Movement of Florida, building an enduring, sustainable movement to make all children the state’s No. 1 priority in investment and decision-making. He is a member of the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet and twice chaired the Florida Partnership for School Readiness.

In 2002, he led the campaign for The Children’s Trust, a dedicated source of early intervention and prevention funding for children in Miami-Dade – with an 85% reaffirmation in 2008. He is the “founding chair.” He serves on the boards of the Foundation for Child Development in New York and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Early Childhood Toolkit 4 In 2002-3, he chaired the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection, and he chaired a similar panel for the Secretary of the Department of Children and Families in 2011. In 2002, he was a key figure in passing a statewide constitutional amendment to provide pre-K for all 4 year olds.

He is a board member and former chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe. The David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Public School opened in 2006. An endowed chair in early childhood studies is established in his name at the University of Florida College of Education.

Business Leaders JD Chesloff Executive Director Massachusetts Business Roundtable Boston, MA Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: No Topics: Intersection of early child and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)

Executive Director JD Chesloff is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic framework and direction for MBR in partnership with the Chair, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors. He works with MBR Task Forces and MBR leadership to develop their agendas on public policy matters – particularly in the areas of competitiveness, health care, education, and transportation and infrastructure – and conveys those ideas to opinion leaders and policy makers to help inform their deliberations.

Additionally, he serves on the Executive Committees of both the Governor’s STEM Advisory Committee and the state’s Health Care Quality and Cost Council Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.

JD holds a Masters in Public Affairs from the McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Public Policy and Telecommunications Writing from Syracuse University. He lives in Arlington, MA with his wife Lori and his two daughters, Sadie and Tessa.

Rob Dugger Managing Partner Hanover Investment Group Advisory Board Chairman ReadyNation Alexandria, VA Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: No

Early Childhood Toolkit 5 Topics: Economic research on early childhood, social impact financing, role of business leaders, importance of early childhood investment in building a strong future workforce, and general early childhood/business.

Rob Dugger has had a long and varied career in business and public service. He is the managing partner of Hanover Investment Group, an investment consulting firm focused on helping asset management companies navigate significant changes in fiscal conditions. He is also a founding board member of Earthwater Technologies Inc, a water exploration and development company specializing in deep-earth tectonic fracture zone drilling.

Prior to Hanover, Rob was a partner in Tudor Investment Corporation for sixteen years. Tudor is a hedge fund active in currency, bond, equity, and commodity market trading and venture capital investment worldwide.

In the years before Tudor, Rob served as Policy Director at the American Bankers Association, where he facilitated a panel of bank officials in developing a plan that became the RTC and the solution to the U.S. Savings & Loan problem. Rob began his career at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in the early 1970s and served as a senior staff member of both the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee in the 1980s.

To help achieve fiscal sustainability through US workforce strengthening, Rob co-founded ReadyNation, www.ReadyNation.org, formerly the Partnership for America's Economic Success, an organization dedicated to increasing business support for investing in early child development. He is a Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development, a board member of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and chairman of the Alexandria/Arlington Smart Beginnings Leadership Council.

Rob received his BA from Davidson College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Federal Reserve Dissertation Fellowship.

Philip A. Peterson Senior Vice President Aon Radnor, PA Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: No Topics: Business engagement, general early childhood development

Philip A. Peterson is a Deputy Director specializing in early childhood pay for success strategies using social impact financing. He assists states and local jurisdictions in developing pay for success projects in the areas of early childhood education and home visiting. He brings experience in strategic

Early Childhood Toolkit 6 planning, team building, financial economics and risk management to ReadyNation.

Phil recently joined ReadyNation after a 38-year career in human resource and employee benefit consulting where he managed various Aon practices and offices over the years and specialized in global retirement strategies, stock option valuation and human capital metrics.

Phil helped co-create with Child Care Matters, the Aon/United Way of Southeastern PA Hand-in- Hand Award for quality child care in the business community. He has also testified before the House Education Committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on the importance of child care to the business community. Phil has served on the board of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, and on the state board of the Pennsylvania Economy League. Phil joined the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission in 2008, and was the co-chair of the Advisory Board of ReadyNation.

Phil earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Dickinson College. He is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and an Enrolled Actuary.

Lisa M. Ventriss President Vermont Business Roundtable South Burlington, VT Travel Expenses Required: Yes Honorarium: No Topics: Building the business case for investment in pre-k education, the importance of 3rd grade reading literacy, the role for business leaders in pre-k education advocacy.

Lisa Ventriss is President and chief spokesperson of Vermont Business Roundtable, a non-partisan, non-political, public affairs organization comprised of 115 CEOs from among the state’s most successful private sector and not-for-profit employers. Through thoughtful policy research and analysis, collaboration, and advocacy, the Roundtable seeks to leverage the entrepreneurial capital of its members to benefit the welfare of all Vermonters on economic, social and environmental matters. Prior to joining the Roundtable in 2002, Ms. Ventriss was President of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (1997-2002).

In 2009, Ms. Ventriss was appointed by Governor Douglas to the Building Bright Futures Council, which is organized to create a unified system of quality health, early care, and education supports for young children and their families. She currently serves as co-chair. In 2010 Ms. Ventriss was presented with the Key Achieve Award by KeyBank in recognition of her years of leadership and contributions to both the business and non-profit communities throughout Vermont.

Early Childhood Toolkit 7 Ms. Ventriss is a native of Middlebury, VT and holds a Master of Public Administration and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Vermont. She is married and has three sons.

4. Additional Alliance Partners View our list of Alliance Partners, http://www.americaspromise.org/all-partners, for information about their work and for potential local engagement and/or strategy development regarding your summit. If you would like to make a connection, contact your Summit Manager at America’s Promise, who can help facilitate an introduction.

5. Multi-Media and Suggested Reading See early childhood education in action: https://www.youtube.com/user/EarlyChildhoodVideos

ReadyNation has a selection of early childhood engagement webinars: http://www.readynation.org/events/.

For the latest research and reading (including an annual state by state report card), visit the National Institute for Early Education Research: http://nieer.org/.

Social Impact Investing from Goldman Sachs: http://www.goldmansachs.com/what-we- do/investing-and-lending/impact-investing/case-studies/salt-lake-social-impact-bond.html

Southern Education Desk - Fighting Crime through Early Childhood Education: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZtAtLgWdOI&list=PL68EA41F9A4800009m

Southern Education Desk - Pre-K Students in Tennessee Ahead of Peers: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=b6t9NKNIpV8&feature=bf_next&list=PL68EA41F9A4800009&lf=plpp_video

WVXU- Impact Cincinnati - Early Childhood:

http://www.wvxu.org/post/impact-cincinnati-august-16-2012

WVXU- "Success by 6":

http://www.wvxu.org/post/success-6

Early Learning Investment Commission, “We are Pennsylvania” video: http://www.pa- elic.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98&Itemid=119

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