Success By Six and United Way of the Wabash Valley are hosting an interactive forum on the Economic Impact of Early Childhood Education on May 23, from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This free event will explore how employers can gain a competitive advantage by investing in early childhood education, and will take place at Clabber Girl in the upstairs conference room. Business leaders, lawmakers, experts in early learning, and community partners will discuss the community impact and economic benefits of investing in high quality early childcare.
“Employers offering proactive and creative childcare solutions significantly increase morale while recruiting top talent which ultimately impacts the business’s bottom line. As an employer, these, among a host of other critical factors, are the reason for learning more about what YOU can do TODAY for your employees, and how child care [plays] a significant role,” explains Natalie Brake, Early Learning Indiana, Director of Capacity Building.
An impressive collaboration of industry experts will share key data as it relates to the impact child care has in our community. Speakers will include:
- Jack Turman Jr., Professor, Dept. of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Indiana University
- Relationship Between Society, Early Brain Development and Learning
- Michael Conn-Powers, Professor, Director of Indiana Institute of Disability and Community, Indiana University
- Kindergarten Readiness: Realigning Expectations
- Natalie Brake, Director of Capacity Building, Early Learning Indiana
- The Smart Investment: Economic Impact of Early Childhood Education on the Community
- Interactive panel including above participants and:
- Nicole Norvell, Director, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning
- Natalie Pugh, Director of Childcare and Referral Program, CASY
Mark Johnson, Community Impact Director at United Way of the Wabash Valley, reports that, “After talking with employers during our recent strategic planning process it reinforced to us the need for a quality workforce in our community. It also highlighted the struggle that families face when working to find high-quality childcare in our area. With this event, we hope to share information on why we should be investing in early childhood education and how it will impact businesses today and into the future.”
Funding for this event is provided by Early Learning Indiana. Further information regarding this event along with online registration and the agenda can be found at www.uwwv.org/sb6-forum.
