Va. Early Childhood Foundation hosts annual meeting

The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation held its annual meeting on Oct. 25-27 at the Westin and at Libbie Mill Library in Henrico County. More than 75 early childhood leaders from Virginia heard from national, regional and local experts on a wide variety of topics, such as overcoming barriers that prevent children from accessing services that promote school readiness; exploring data related to equity and mobility out of poverty; and the benefits of investing in shared services alliances that provide “back office” business operations for childcare centers, allowing for a focus on improving quality.

Anne Mitchell, president of Early Childhood Policy Research, led two sessions during the meeting. Her presentations addressed financing strategies for early childhood initiatives with specific discussions on the Quality Rating and Improvement System, which rates and supports childcare centers in the quality of services provided to young children.

“The annual meeting was designed to provide participants with innovative strategies to support early childhood education efforts in their respective communities,” said Kathy Glazer, president of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation.