Pictured L-R: California Strategies Partner Monique Ramos; California State Board of Education Executive Director Karen Stapf Walters; Vice President of Policy & Strategy Kim Pattillo Brownson; Center for Prevention & Early Intervention’s Director of System Transformation Services Matthew Navo; Association of California School Administrators Senior Director of Policy and Governmental Affairs Edgar Zazueta.
Reappointment: First 5 LA Vice President of Policy and Strategy Kim Pattillo Brownson was recently reappointed to the California State Board of Education by Governor Gavin Newsom, to serve her second year on the board. Last week, she, along with other appointees, attended the Senate Confirmation Hearing in Sacramento, where she received a unanimous bipartisan vote and lots of questions about early learning. In April of last year, First 5 LA issued a statement about the appointment where Kim shared the following sentiment: “I am excited to lift up connections between early learning, K–12 and fairness so all of our children can thrive.” Online publication EdSource covered Kim’s original appointment as well as the other appointee, Matt Navo, who serves as the director of systems transformation at the Center for Prevention and Early Intervention for WestEd. Click here for the Governor’s Press Release about the appointments.
Pictured L-R: [Back Row] First 5 LA Commissioner Romalis J. Taylor; Communities Program Officer Roberto Roque; Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Peter Barth; Senior Program Officer Joaquin Macias [Bottom Row] Vice President of Policy & Strategy Kim Pattillo Brownson; Health Systems Program Officer Tina Chinakarn.
Sharing the Dream: Colleagues attended the 2020 Dream Lunch at the Los Angeles Music Center. Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this annual luncheon also serves as a fundraising event to help build a healthier South L.A. “The 2020 Dream Lunch was a time for us to gather and break bread. We were grateful to celebrate our community with those who inspire us — it reminds us of just how far we’ve come,” is the comment on the event website. This year’s honorees included California Health & Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly who received the Health Champion Award, and Emmy Award-winning journalist & Founder of S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls Shaun Robinson who received the Game Changer Award. “Entertainment Tonight” Correspondent Nischelle Turner served as the Mistress of Ceremonies.
Pictured L-R: Communities Program Officer Roberto Roque; Communities Program Officer Alex Wade; Health Systems Program Officer Ann Isbell; Special Projects Manager Amelia Cobb; Communities Program Officer John Guevarra; Community Relations Officer Bill Gould; Community Relations Officer Alejandra Marroquin; Family Supports Program Officer Maria Aquino.
Brotherhood Breakfast: Colleagues attended YMCA’s 49th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast, held at the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. The event honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognized local community members and organizations dedicated to serving others. This year’s honorees included Christine Simmons, Chief Operating Officer for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who was the keynote speaker and received the Brotherhood Award; and Dan Guerrero, UCLA Director of Athletics, who received the Human Dignity Award.
Pictured L-R: Strategic Partnerships Manager Kim Milliken Hayden; L.A. County Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education Debra Colman; California Department Of Finance Program Budget Manager for Education Jeff Bell; Vice President of Policy & Strategy Kim Pattillo Brownson; Global Corporate Citizenship Western Region Manager at The Boeing Company Tamika Lang; Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Center for Education Excellence & Talent Development Executive Vice President David Rattray.
Chamber Meeting: First 5 LA Vice President of Policy & Strategy Kim Pattillo Brownson led the first L.A. Chamber Education and Workforce Development Council Meeting of the year. The council promotes partnerships between business leaders and educators to reform public education, expand access to higher education, and develop a 21st century workforce to successfully compete in the global economy. In the current economic climate, the council is focused on job recovery for today’s workers while preparing the future workforce. This meeting focused on California’s 2020 Cradle-to-Career Investment.
Pictured L-R: NALEO Educational Fund Regional Census Campaign Manager Giovany Hernandez; L.A. County Chief Executive Office Analyst Marcha Stevenson; Advancement Project California Policy and Research Analyst Alejandra Ramirez-Zarate; L.A. County Office of Education Immigrant Relations Coordinator Carolina Sheinfeld; Community Relations Manager Fabiola Montiel; L.A. County Office of Education Census Specialist Esmeralda Flores; The Children’s Partnership Senior Communications and Outreach Liaison Nancy Olivares.
We Count 2020: Community Relations Manager Fabiola Montiel, and Strategic Partnerships Manager Alba Bautista attended the Metro L.A. meeting of We Count LA Census Table. Formerly the Los Angeles Regional Census Table, We Count LA is the initiative under which meetings in several regions are held and is funded in part by the California Community Foundation and has the mission to secure a fair and accurate count of all Angeleños, including children 0-8. We Count LA brings together community-based organizations and other census stakeholders (philanthropy, state and local government, business) to share resources and coordinate outreach. An undercount in the 2020 Census could result in the loss of a congressional seat for California and billions of dollars in federal funding for our state and local communities. It could also result in unfair political representation since census counts are used to redraw political districts at the federal, state and local levels.
Pictured L-R: [Top] Early Care & Education Program Officer Jaime Kalenik; Early Care & Education Senior Program Officer Kevin Dieterle; Early Care & Education Program Officer Gina Rodriguez; Watts Labor Community Action Committee staff members; Administrative Assistant Jessica Mercado; Community Relations Officer Bill Gould [Bottom L] Gina Rodriguez; Kevin Dieterle; Jessica Mercado; Bill Gould; Jaime Kalenik
The Season of Giving: During the holidays, First 5 LA staff were able to sponsor formerly homeless families through the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC), a South Los Angeles-based organization which offers services to families who have no regular nighttime residence. WLCAC provides stable housing and operates a “Shelter Plus Care” that assists homeless individuals and their families with supportive and educational services, case management, family counseling, drug counseling and more. Special thanks go out to colleagues Zully Jauregui, Bryan Fahrbach, Miriam Maya, Gina Rodriguez, Miriam Maya, Marcy Manker, Kevin Dieterle, Jaime Kalenik, Avery Seretan, Joaquin Calderon, Fabiola Montiel, Daisy Lopez, Krystal Green, Amelia Cobb, Jessica Mercado, Carl Gayden, Brandi Sims, Bill Gould and Kim Belshé for their toy and household items contributions to the families. This effort to assist families in need was an excellent example of community spirit. “Thanks so much to all who participated, the families really appreciated our efforts,” said Bill Gould who organized the donations.
Pictured L-R: [Top] YMCA Family Resource Director Lia Evans; Assistant Early Learning Readiness Facilitator Valeria Villa; Program Director Maria Mendoza; Early Learning Readiness Facilitator Andrea Aguilar; Family Supports Program Officer Christine Tran.
Opening Doors: First 5 LA grantee Southeast-Rio Vista YMCA hosted its second Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors (AP/OD) graduation for the 28 parents who participated in the 10-session bilingual (English & Spanish) program. To date, under First 5 LA’s strategic partnership with AP/OD, the YMCA has trained 14 staff members and graduated 10 cohorts across seven L.A. County YMCA sites! One of the successful features of YMCA’s administration of AP/OD programming is their braided approach of offering other types of engagement programs like Early Learning Readiness, which is funded by the Packard Foundation. To learn more about this collaborative effort between First 5 LA, the Packard Foundation and the YMCA, check out this report by the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investments and Engage R+D.
