Yesterday, our representatives in Washington had the chance to play a life-size game of Chutes and Ladders on Capitol Hill. The National Women’s Law Center’s Strong Start for Children Campaign and MomsRising organized the giant board game to send our Senators a message about the importance of quality, affordable early learning experiences: are we going to build ladders for our children to climb to success, or allow them to backslide by failing to invest in their futures?
Rosa DeLauro at the Chutes and Ladders Event (Photo tweeted by Helen Blank)
After the game, the event’s organizers distributed story books to every U.S. Senator emphasizing the importance of early learning. We’re very proud that this collection included reflections from Josie Queen, one of All Our Kin’s talented providers. This moving section from Josie’s essay, which originally appeared as a post on our blog, emphasizes the role that All Our Kin has played in Josie’s growth as an educator:
“It goes without saying that all this education, information, mentoring and encouragement allowed me to spread my wings and soar. It’s allowed me to engage the children in a variety of ways that I may not have thought of before. We create activities and crafts to go along with the books that we read every day. We base our learning around themes such as fish and ocean life, bugs and insects, even themes as simple as colors. All Our Kin has provided me with a priceless resource of information that I can use at any time to educate the children in my care.”
The full story book, “A Strong Start Makes a Difference,” offers insights from educators, parents, and business leaders in all fifty states who understand how essential early experiences are for our children and families.
If you feel inspired by the stories in the book, we hope you’ll reach out to your representatives and show them you’re a supporter of early education. We couldn’t agree more with NWLC’s Helen Blank’s call to action following the Chutes and Ladders game: “By expanding access to high-quality early education, many more children will have a greater chance to excel and become productive adults. Meeting this challenge will be a win for them, their families and the nation. Let’s do it!”
All Our Words 