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Inside this Issue

• ICS Facilitates Early Childhood Common Agenda Forum in Columbia, SC
• MIECHV & Home Visiting
• What We've Been Up To: SOCAP22, Together for Families Conference, SCAEYC's Annual Conference, National Black Child Development Institute Conference, ICS Senior Fellows Team Up for UofSC Students, and ICS at the NBMBAA Conference
• Noteworthy: Workforce Paper Receives Stamp of Approval by Sara Gibson of 20 Degrees, and ICS Contributed to SC Institute of Medicine & Public Health's Childhood Immunization Report
• Upcoming Events: 2023 Desmond P. Kelly, MD Nurturing Developing Minds Conference & Research and Implementation Symposium

ICS Convenes Child Advocates for an Early Childhood Common Agenda Forum in Columbia, SC

On Saturday, October 15, ICS Palmetto Engagement and Policy Director Deborah DePaoli convened family, community, and provider advocates who care about children for the South Carolina Early Childhood Common Agenda (ECCA). The ECCA is designed to present a unified front on matters related to early childhood health, education, and family well-being to policymakers in SC. The ECCA is led by a coalition of dozens of advocates dedicated to improving the outcomes for young children (ages 0 through 5) and their families. In past years, dozens of organizations have signed on to the ECCA resulting in huge wins at the SC State House (4K expansion, Earned Income Tax Credit, and more).

At Saturday's event, attendees heard directly from families with compelling, lived experiences, and from agency and community advocates who shared their knowledge. Participants represented all regions of South Carolina and the diversity of the community represented was uplifting and inspirational. The forum included representatives from Parents as Teachers, First Steps, Birth Matters, school districts, the Georgetown Early Learning Council, Carolina Family Engagement Centers and the Yvonne and Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center at the University of South Carolina, United Way, Eastern Carolina Housing, Save the Children, Save the Children Action Network, Beginnings SC, Furman University, South Carolina Association of Educators of Young Children, the Ford and Ford Group, Hispanic Alliance, and 19 unaffiliated family and community advocates.

Hafeezah Yates of Save the Children Action Network, Phil Ford of Ford & Ford Group, and ICS's Deborah DePaoli.

Deborah is joined by invaluable volunteers from Spring Valley High School.

Attendees provide feedback on their top advocacy issues.

Meredith Burton, president of South Carolina Association of Educators of Young Children and Director of Furman Child Development Center, likes what she is hearing!

Sheryn Waterman of Georgetown Early Learning Council (l), ICS Senior Fellow Linda Brees (c), and Betsy Marlow of Georgetown Early Learning Council (r).

ICS Board Member Crystal Campbell, DHL described it as the "best meeting about Early Childhood concerns ever...The discussions were rich and much needed." 

Hafeezah Yates of Save the Children Action Network asks, “What does advocacy mean to you?”

Dr. Jabari Bodrick of the United Way talks about inclusive leadership and advocacy.

Megan Branham of Family Connection stresses the importance of early intervention services.

MIECHV & Home Visiting

Read our guide on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program to learn more about how this program strengthens families—view the evidence base on the positive impacts of home visiting, learn about MIECHV’s measurable outcomes and cost-effective implementation, and see how home visiting programs can become eligible.

You may also view our chart for quick information on MIECHV, including eligible programs, targeted outcomes, and Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE) evaluation elements.

What We've Been Up To

SOCAP 2022

ICS CEO Jamie Moon and Chief Equity Officer Mary C. Garvey attended the SOCAP conference from October 17-20 in San Francisco, CA. Now under the leadership of the Sorenson Impact Center, SOCAP Global convenes the largest and most diverse impact investing community in the world. 

Investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders discussed how social challenges, including early childhood health and education challenges, can be addressed through innovative impact investing solutions. “I was especially encouraged by the deep focus on equity that ran throughout SOCAP,” noted Garvey. “If we are going to genuinely address the many racial and economic disparities that permeate early childhood, we must be bold in our approaches.”  

Together for Families Conference

ICS Vice President of Impact and Practice Dr. Aimée Drouin Duncan and ICS Science Communication Director Katie Hammond presented on culturally relevant measurement at the three-day, Together for Families Conference on October 19. This biennial conference is a unique virtual event that connects various stakeholders from across the U.S. and Canada in the Family Support and Strengthening Field to focus on best and promising practice for supporting families’ advancement.

South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference

ICS's Senior Fellow Dee Stegelin, PhD presented "Building Intergenerational Relationships" on October 14 at the SCAEYC Conference. The presentation is an outcome of a Global Healing Project with Dr. Edgar Klugman, and Dr. Stegelin is a co-leader of the project.

Intergenerational Relationship Building is an important concept as it brings together the older generation with the younger generation. This relationship can be between grandparents and grandchildren or between any older person with a young child or student. These relationships benefit both the child and the older person and help break down the age barriers often experienced in the American lifestyle.

National Black Child Development Institute Conference

In early October, ICS’s Chief Equity Officer Mary C. Garvey presented during the National Black Child Development Institute’s annual conference in Washington, DC. The theme was “Creating an Equitable and JUST Future for Black Children and Families.” Attendees took away from the presentation, "A Sympathetic Touch: Tackling Exclusionary Discipline and Promoting Flourish," action-oriented solutions intended to ensure that Black children have equitable opportunities for healthy development, nurturing learning experiences, and life success. The session was extraordinarily well received.

Pictured are Mary C. Garvey, Nicholtown Child and Family Collaborative (NCFC) Executive Director Randolyn Harmon, ICS Executive Committee Board Member JoKeitha Seabrook, and ICS CEO Jamie Moon.

ICS Senior Fellows Team Up for UofSC Students

ICS Senior Fellows Mary MacKenzie (l) and Dee Stegelin, PhD (r) in Columbia, SC at the University of South Carolina in late September. They presented to a group of masters-level Early Childhood Education students on outdoor learning and Forest Schools. Our fellows were comforted knowing that children are in the hands of such capable young people.

ICS Represented at the NBMBAA Conference

General Communications Director Lisa Maronie (l) and Chief Equity Officer Mary C. Garvey (r) attended the National Black MBA (Master of Business Administration) Association® 44th Annual Conference & Exposition in Atlanta, GA from September 27-October 1. 

Empowered by thought-provoking leadership sessions and lively speakers, they left committed to incorporating some of the teachings into their work.

Noteworthy

Workforce Paper Receives Stamp of Approval from Sara Gibson of 20 Degrees

Co-Founder and CEO of 20 Degrees Sara Gibson recently gave ICS's white paper, "Early Childhood Workforce: Supporting the Professionals Who Support Our Families," a resounding endorsement. She made this LinkedIn statement about the exploration into the multi-sector workforce and the challenges faced, "Data-driven decision-making is so important, especially now. This tremendous study has risen to the top of our reading list. This study on the early childhood workforce has some important takeaways for many of us thinking about how to address and find solutions to burnout. The research is post-COVID and addresses adjacent fields to ECE staff–making it relevant to a broad audience.

From how to think of burnout as a policy issue to some efforts employers can implement in the meantime, this is a must-read if you are wondering how best to support your team."

Reap the benefits yourself

ICS Contributed to SC Institute of Medicine & Public Health's

Childhood Immunization Report

The SC Institute of Medicine & Public Health (IMPH) released its report on childhood immunizations in South Carolina in which ICS was a special contributor and was quoted. The report examines barriers to routine immunization adherence among children ages 0-6 in South Carolina. 

Excerpt: “Across South Carolina, the number of medical exemptions decreased 42% between the 2015-2016 and 2020- 2021 academic years. During that time period, the number of religious exemptions increased 83% while the percentage of medical and special exemptions have remained relatively stable. Areas of particular concern can be found by examining county-level exemptions. Some areas of the state show near doublings of exemptions creating pockets of populations that are more vulnerable to vaccine preventable disease outbreaks from disease importations.”

Source: ICS survey of pediatric providers during early COVID-19

Review the IMPH report 

Upcoming Events

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