Ad Hoc Committee on CulturalCompetence & Racial Equity

October 2013

Lansing Early Childhood EquityPartnership

Presenter:Angela Waters Austin

One Love Global

Mich. panel weighs holding back readingdeficient third graders

A House committee heard testimonyWednesday on new legislation to prohibitstudents from starting fourth grade withoutpassing the state reading test in third grade. One-third or 33,000 of Michigan’s third-graders,weren’t proficient in reading on last year’s test.

- October 30, 2013 Associated Press

What We Accomplished

June – September 2013:• Purpose• Process• Participants• Proceedings• Priorities• Partner Engagement

Purpose

• Meet and come back to GSC and LECEPwith a plan

• Identify topics and things we can do • A multi-level approach is needed • Shape recommendations that others in

the community may take on long-term

Hon. Donald Allen, 55th District Court,Ingham Change InitiativeSarah Anthony, Ingham County Board ofCommissionersAngela Waters Austin, One Love GlobalWard Beard, N.E.O.N.Stephanie Butler, Church of GreaterLansingPam Eaton Champion, Pam’s Academyfor ChampionsKatie Ellero, Power of We Consortium,AMERICORPSDeLisa Fountain, N.E.O.N.Rose Henderson, Power of WeConsortiumShanell Henry, N.E.O.N.Mina Hong, Michigan’s ChildrenKindra Jackson, Kindra’s Precious CareSandra JohnsonCameo King, One Love GlobalTeresa Kmetz, Capital Area United WayCassandre Larrieux, Ingham CountyHealth Department

Tiffany Lemieux-McKissic, AssetIndependence CoalitionLaurie Linscott, Michigan StateUniversityTim Lloyd, N.E.O.N.Barb Monroe, Office for Young ChildrenMichelle Nicholson, Ingham Great StartCollaborativeSharon Rogers, Capital Area CommunityServices Head StartMC Rothhorn, N.E.O.N., Great StartFamily CoalitionDerrell Slaughter, MI Public ServiceCommissionIsaias Solis, Power of We ConsortiumLia Spaniolo, Power of We ConsortiumKen Sperber, Ingham Great StartCollaborativeValerie Thonger, Ingham Great StartCollaborativeAdam Williams, N.E.O.N.Jerome Vierling, Sounds Good Ministries

Participants

A grateful thanks to committee members for sharing your hearts and minds to helpour community cast a vision for improving outcomes for children by removing barriers

created by racialized policies, practices and perceptions.

• Organizing and Agenda Setting (utilizingthe Racial Equity Collective Impact diagramand process to build an inclusive committee todevelop an action agenda for improvingoutcomes for Black males)

• Storytelling (drawing on the personalexperiences of all to equalize power for trustand relationship building)

• Asset Mapping (data collection designed tobuild on strengths rather than deficits)

• Issues Identification (developing a sharedunderstanding of problems and potentialsolutions)

• Goal Alignment and Prioritization (applyingsolutions to NEON SMART objective and data topromote collective action with families)

Process: Dialogue

Process: Dialogue

Proceedings: Dialogue Themes

Priority Alignment

Which actions are mostlikely to have an impacton closing the gap in 3rdgrade reading scoresbetween Black childrenand White children?.

Priorities

Structural Racism Priorities

• Employ the best tools and thinking inidentification of structural racism barriers

• Commit to working on multiple levels to

combat structural racism • Learn by doing through collective action to

close gap in 3rd grade reading scores • Serve as champions for racial equity in

early childhood

Community of Practice

• Report out on ad hoc committee to targetedconstituencies (October 31 - ongoing)

• Extend partnership agreements to bring existing

resources into the CoP (November 15) • Determine GSC members that will participate in

the CoP (by November 20) • Launch the Community of Practice for Racial

Equity & Healing (December 2) • Complete individual and collective assessments

(by January 31)

Next Step: Partnership

Proceedings

If your organization is interested in joining the CoP, please contactAngela Waters Austin – angela@oneloveglobal.org

Thank you for your interest in improving outcomes in earlychildhood for children of color.