It's All About the Kids

by Nalani Linder, Community Impact Manager - Early Childhood Development

You know you work with children when…

…you’re telling children in the grocery store to use their ‘inside voices’.

…you come home with marker, paint and dried glue on your hands or clothes or hair—every day!

…the soundtrack of songs that get stuck in your head are about the alphabet, clean up time or baby beluga whales.

Laughter and knowing nods filled the community center meeting hall last month, as kindergarten teachers, preschool teachers and child care providers came together to talk about what they have in common as teachers and caregivers of young children. Such a scene was repeated a total of five times over the last two months, hosted by United Way of Pierce County, First 5 FUNdamentals, Graduate Tacoma, the Tacoma School District and Child Care Aware of Tacoma-Pierce County. These evening events were called “Building Connections: It’s All About the Kids” and conversations were indeed on the kids—specifically, how the adults could work better together to ensure successful transitions to kindergarten for every child in Tacoma.

Nearly 200 people participated, sharing lighthearted comments about working with children while also having thoughtful conversations about how people were using the state-wide practice guidelines for Early Learning classrooms or the benchmarks for kindergarten readiness.

The events are widely considered a success. One kindergarten teacher commented, “I feel closer to the child care teachers who pick up and drop off. I'll take more time to talk with them.” At the conclusion of the events, several participants asked for further opportunities to connect, and said that they would bring even more colleagues next time.

In a county where more than half of the children entering kindergarten are not yet completely ready for school, opportunities for this kind of professional connection are filling a critical gap. One participant summed it up well, “I have been teaching early childhood for 18 years and I've never seen this many people from different entities come together to bridge this gap.”

While it's just a beginning, it's a bridge we want to continue to build, knowing that ultimately it really is all about the kids.