Archives for February 2019

Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children with Mary Braxton

(February 27, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Mary Braxton, Board member of the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (VAAEYC), to discuss early childhood education in the state of Virginia.

Braxton has had a long career in early childhood education. She was an owner/operator of her own in-home childcare business for 27 years, and is a long-time board member of the VAAEYC. Additionally, Braxton also serves on the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) Board, as well as being a former President of the Virginia Alliance of Family Childcare Associations. Her breadth and depth of knowledge surrounding early childhood education is wide and deep. Braxton has stood as a strong advocate for Virginia’s children by promoting policies that help improve access to quality early childhood education options.

The VAAEYC has its roots in the Virginia Council on Social Work. Efforts began in 1955 to bring together child care personnel and others interested in preschool children. In 1956, sixty individuals attended a Child Care Preschool Institute in Roanoke, VA. A year later, 200 advocates met, adopted a constitution, and selected the name – the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children. In 1969 the state association decided to affiliate with the national organization (NAYEC), and then in 1972 the group also affiliated with the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA).

The mission of the VAAEYC is to promote the professional growth of persons working with young children, improve the availability and quality of developmental and educational services and resources for young children, to advocate and promote public policy decisions which improve the quality of life for young children and their families, and to support, disseminate and utilize research related the well being and education of young children. The organization focuses on children ages birth to eight years of age, and there are eight chapters of the VAAEYC located throughout the commonwealth.

Braxton speaks passionately about the importance of quality pre-K education as the foundation of learning for children. Preschool is where children learn the social and emotional skills that they need for success in both school and in life. Studies have shown that children who have access to quality preschool education have better outcomes than their peers who do not. Braxton and her colleagues work tirelessly to help advance the cause of making affordable childcare accessible to all children. She notes that over 1/3 of the state of Virginia is considered a “childcare desert”, meaning that there are not enough programs to meet the needs of all children who want to access preschool education.

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe established the first ever Children’s Cabinet in Virginia to spotlight the importance of early childhood education. This group has continued under current Governor Ralph Northam, and has expanded to include the first School Readiness Officer in Virginia, Jenna Conway. Her role is to help expand access to quality pre-K education to all Virginia children.

Access and quality of childcare varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction throughout Virginia. In Northern Virginia, there are strict licensing requirements for child care providers in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria. This assures parents that their children are in a safe environment, weather they are at a daycare center or with an in-home daycare provider. These include things like background checks, CPR certifications and property assessments to ensure a safe environment. In Prince William County, however, providers can have up to 4 children in their home without being subject to any licensing requirements whatsoever.

The many statewide organizations are working together to help bring about positive policy change in regards to early childhood education. They are in regular contact with local, state and federal representatives, and often speak and testify at public hearings in order to advance their issues. As the critical importance of quality early childhood development is more widely accepted as an integral factor in future wellbeing, Braxton is optimistic that their agenda will be more widely accepted, and she encourages everyone to visit their website to better understand the policy initiatives that they are advancing.

The VAAEYC is holding the 63^rd annual conference, entitled Constructing Solid Foundations for Children, on March 14-16 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. The conference is the premier professional development event in Virginia for early childhood educators. The conference will feature 100+ workshops, catering to all aspects of preschool education. Braxton is excited to bring together childcare professionals from around the state to share ideas and best practices. One of the things she loves most about these conferences is that childcare providers are treated as true professionals. Braxton shares that the energy at the conference is palpable, and the attendees find it both empowering and motivating when networking with others in their field. Those interested can visit the website to learn more and sign up for the conference.

by Rachel Simon

Formed Families Forward on Your Need to Know

(February 20, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Kelly Henderson and Dee Robinson-Rutkowski of Formed Families Forward (FFF). Their organization is dedicated to supporting foster, kinship and adoptive families of children and youth with disabilities and special needs. They serve families, educators and child welfare professionals in the Northern Virginia area.

Formed Families Forward is a non-profit supported through a federal grant, established to assist adoptive and foster families navigate the complicated world of acquiring services to support children with special needs. Studies show that youth in foster and kinship care are at a higher risk of having disabilities, and therefore requiring special education services. In addition to medical needs, many of these children have suffered emotional trauma from being in an unstable environment, and need extra support to recover and become healthy and whole.

Dee came to Formed Families Forward after she and her husband adopted their two sons through the foster care system. They faced many challenges and had some very rocky years, especially during middle school. She became connected to FFF after meeting Kelly through her Middle School PTA. Dee is thankful to have had someone to help her navigate the system so that they could access the much needed resources to help her sons. It helped to ease their burden, and put her boys and their family on a path to wellness.

In addition to connecting families with the resources that they need, FFF also runs support groups for both students and parents. These groups are very important because families can connect with one another, and understand that they are not alone. FFF also conducts one on one consultations, so individual families can make sure that they understand how to find the support and resources that they need for their children, and get what their children need to thrive at school and at home.

As the organization evolves, Kelly and Dee note that they are working on different initiatives to meet their clients’ needs. They are just finishing up the production of a webinar focused on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and the impacts and effects that this has on children as they age. They also have programming focused on ADD and ADHD, which is one of the most common diagnoses that children in foster and adoptive care face. In addition to helping families understand how to establish classroom accommodations, there are many things that parents can do with children at home to help manage symptoms.

In addition, there is a growing movement recognizing how trauma can affect children, and have an impact on their ability to learn and fully participate in the classroom. Trauma Informed Community Networks are being established in Fairfax County for the first time. These networks are designed to help educators and service providers better understand the obstacles and challenges faced by students who have suffered from traumatic events at a young age, and help coordinate efforts in supporting these children.

Formed Families Forward is sponsoring their annual event on April 27^th called Spring Forward Family Fun Day, which will be held on the Science and Technology Campus of George Mason University in Manassas. This year’s theme is Navigating Systems to Build Stronger Families. While parents, educators and caregivers enjoy presentations by experts on education and support of foster, adoptive and kinship families, children ages 4 and above will be able to access experiential learning at GMU’s outdoor learning program called “The EDGE”. More details about the day, along with information about how to purchase tickets, can be found on their website

by Rachel Simon

Abrar Omeish and GIVE on Your Need to Know

(February 13, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Abrar Omeish, co-founder of GIVE Youth (Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education) about the organization she helped to found, and her candidacy for the Fairfax County School Board.

Omeish and her friends came up with the concept of GIVE when they were in high school at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. They identified a need in the community among low-income students who could not afford expensive tutors and academic prep courses to help them stay competitive when it came to applying to colleges. Additionally, they saw that many of these students did not have role models or mentors to look up to.

Omeish and her contemporaries founded GIVE in 2010, with the mission of promoting civic engagement and giving back to the community. Their goal is to invest in the next generation by striving to provide opportunities to those who seek them in the fields of education, empowerment and leadership. The program gives teens the opportunity to serve as mentors to young children, provides resources to underprivileged students, and promotes the importance of an enthusiastic attitude toward learning.

Starting in the basement of her parents’ home, Omeish and her friends organized and planned the launch of their first tutoring and mentoring site at the Mason District Government Center. Since that time, they have grown GIVE to over 20 centers throughout the county. What is truly remarkable about GIVE is that it continues to be run solely by students. They have various work groups that focus on different aspects of their organization, such as web development, fundraising, volunteer mobilization, student engagement and parent outreach.

Abrar Omeish GIVE FCPS GIVE focuses on pairing high school students with elementary school children, with the goal of developing relationships, inspiring younger students and helping to create continuity in the lives of the younger children. Many times, these young children do not have many strong role models in their life, so having an older student who gets to know them can be enough encouragement that helps them believe in themselves and have success in the classroom. Omeish notes that the high school students learn through the experience of teaching, and they get as much as the younger kids do out of the entire experience.

Additionally, the more experienced Board members help to mentor the new board members by teaching them how to run the organization. They also lift each other up during the college application process, and help one another by reading essays and giving feedback. GIVE aims to build community in a variety of ways.

In the second segment of the show Catherine speaks with Abrar about her run for at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board. She is passionate about creating a school system that offers equity and inclusion in education for all students, no matter where they live or what their ability is. Her idea of targeted universalism, where teachers prepare for the hardest case scenario, will create an environment where all students can achieve success.

As Omeish matriculated through the FCPS school system, she noticed the inequities that exist for low-income students. As a student, she worked to close the achievement gap through her founding of GIVE. Her run for school board is an extension of this philosophy, and she is excited to launch her campaign. She strongly believes that the diversity in Fairfax is one of its greatest strengths, and she would like to see more representation in both the teaching and administrative staff, as well as amongst the school board members. She strives to draw on her experience to move these issues forward, while also inspiring and standing up for children.

by Rachel Simon

The Dyslexic Edge Conference on Inside Scoop

(February 4, 2019) Catherine Read speaks about the upcoming Dyslexic Edge Conference with Kristin Gauthier of Sliding Doors, Tracy Mason, Assistant Dean at George Mason University College of Science and Shannon Duncan of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia. In addition to discussing the upcoming conference, they talk about information regarding dyslexia advocacy in the Virginia General Assembly.

In the first segment, Catherine interviews Kristin Gauthier, founder and director of Sliding Doors, a STEM and dyslexia learning center. Her organization aims at helping students who have dyslexia, and includes a formal 2-year instruction program coupled with STEM focused enrichment. Students with dyslexia are shown to have a natural talent in STEM related fields. Therefore, one of Gauthier’s goals is to promote this amongst students, families and STEM professionals. Gauthier has been instrumental in getting the Dyslexic Edge Conference off the ground, and is working to get the word out into the community. She emphasizes that their philosophy is to focus on nurturing strengths in students with dyslexia, as opposed to looking at their challenges, and to use that as a launching pad for future endeavors.

The conference is geared toward three audiences: children and their families, teachers and STEM professionals.The day will be divided into two parts, the morning programming will consist of speakers for teachers and parents, while the afternoon will be hands-on learning workshops for students and families.

Dyslexia is said to affect 1 in 5 students nationwide. Gauthier shares that early detection is key, in order to ensure that children do not fall far behind their peers. If a child is identified during kindergarten in the early stages of learning to read, then they would need approximately 30 minutes of daily intervention to stay on track. If that same child is diagnosed in third grade, the needed intervention time jumps to a whopping 3 hours a day. A conference goal is to raise awareness so that teachers can recognize warning signs and red flags, ensure that children are properly screened, and provide teachers with resources that they can use in their curriculum.

In the second segment Catherine speaks with Tracy Mason, the Assistant Dean for the College of Sciences at George Mason University. She is thrilled that the University is hosting this conference as a collaborative effort between the Colleges of Science and Education. Her desire is to promote education that is accessible to all individuals.

People with dyslexia tend to have natural talents in STEM related fields. These students, however, are often overlooked in the sciences because they struggle with reading when they are young. So much of their time and energy is spent on acquiring the reading skills, that many children get frustrated and give up on academics altogether. This conference aims to spark curiosity in the children, while also inform parents that they should nurture their children’s passions for the sciences. The goal is to demonstrate pathways to the future for these students. Mason notes that if they can reach children when they are young and curious, then they hope to make an impact and help inspire them to follow their passions.

Additionally, Mason finds it important to inform STEM professionals that students with dyslexia can have very successful careers in the sciences. Raising awareness, and forming partnerships with these companies, can help produce the workforce of the future. Currently, there is a shortage of professionals in the STEM workforce, so nurturing these relationships will be a critical step in helping to fill this gap.

In the third segment, Shannon Duncan of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia speaks with Catherine about advocacy efforts in the Virginia General Assembly. Her organization was founded in 2015, and over the past few years they have grown their membership and worked hard to move the conversation surrounding dyslexia forward. Decoding Dyslexia strives to define dyslexia, promotes early identification of dyslexia, supports quality teacher training and encourages school districts to offer assistive technology to help dyslexic students.

Decoding Dyslexia Virginia has had two legislative victories since inception, and one bill that is making its way through the legislature this year. The first bill passed in 2016, which requires teachers to go through a training module with VDOE to educate them about dyslexia, and raise awareness about the condition. The second bill that passed in 2017 requires that each school division employ an expert in dyslexia, in order to be a resource to both parents and teachers. This year’s bill, SB 1718 requires mandatory K-3 screening for children in an effort to identify the condition early on. Duncan notes that the earlier that a child can be identified as dyslexic; the less intervention is required to get them on track.

The Dyslexic Edge Conference will be held on March 23^rd on the campus of George Mason University. Mason and Gauthier note that they are still open to brining on partners in the form of sponsors for the event and display tables to run activities with children. If you are interested in getting involved you can reach out to them via their website www.thedyslexicedge.org or you can email directly at [email protected] .