February news & updates
February 11, 2022 | Issue 12
Celebrate Black History
Celebrate with the Rochester Public Library
Learn with 540 West Main
Watch the celebration the Memorial Art Gallery
Read with Writers & Books

Outcomes Team Meetings
College Access - Tuesday, March 1st
School Readiness- Wednesday, March 9th

Convener Leadership Meetings
Convener Meeting – Friday, February 11th
Calling all parents & caregivers! We want to hear from you.
Message from the Director
Greetings Partners!

What comes to top of mind when we think about the whole child? This is exactly what we are considering as we finalize our submission of the Whole Child funding proposal.

When we think of whole child health, we think of the WHOLE CHILD – everything that helps infants, children and youth grow to be healthy, caring and thriving adults. Focusing on the whole child means a focus on their health, growth and development and their social-emotional well-being from pre-natal to age 21. When we center the whole child, we center equity, and more specifically, racial equity. We center equity in health and wellness; we center whole child equity in education, in play, and in community. And we center the whole child in the context of family, by centering and activating parent leadership and engagement as decision-makers and system changers.

Focusing on the whole child will profoundly transform the shape of the work of the ROC the Future Alliance and allow us to more fully embody our commitment to the cradle to career continuum and vision. And this work must happen by working alongside Rochester’s parents—experts in their own children—to implement systems change that prioritizes whole child equity.

This work is a full-on community shift, and ROC the Future is part of the work to make this happen, along with parents, pediatricians, mental health providers, teachers, school counselors, librarians, community partners, and the broader Rochester community…everybody!

And yes, it needs you too. Be on the lookout for updates on how to be part of the change in 2022!

For the Children,
Eldress Campbell
Network News
Caring & Sharing Child Care Center sets out to reach parents as part of our Wildly Important Goal
Caring and Sharing Child Care Center, located at 90 Webster Ave., provides childcare and after school programming for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years. The Center believes in the power of parent voice. Kimberly Roberson, director of Caring and Sharing Child Care Center, has implemented a contest between classrooms to see how many parents they can get to complete the parent survey through our community’s Wildly Important Goal (WIG).

The WIG seeks to engage 6,000 parents by June 2022 to identify the essential elements of successful learning environments, decide on priority action items, and secure funding & implement actions. We also see the information gleaned from parents as an opportunity to implement practice change to better serve the needs of children and families.

We’ve developed a toolkit to give you all the necessary tools to reach parents. You can also access the survey online here.
Parent Blog Post: Tina Carney
In December, the Greater Rochester Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)’s Teacher Diversity Listening Tour made a stop at PECAN. PLTI, in partnership with New York University, is conducting a parent led racial equity project and chose to focus on teacher diversity. PLTI has been reaching out to parent leaders and parent groups across Monroe County to raise awareness on teacher diversity data and seek reactions and input to inform action.
 
Research is clear that all students, especially black and brown, benefit from being taught by teachers of color. PLTI presented data that indicated a large disparity between teachers of color and students of color in Monroe County school districts. PECAN parent leaders shared their reactions and input:

  •  “What are the opportunities to grow the talent pool within the district? What can we do to build that out?”
  • “Share the data and concerns with the community. Let people know this is what’s happening. Let them know they’re recruiting. If you have a high percentage of students of color and you don’t have the skill set, it’s not just about the education, if you don’t have people who look like them, you’re going to lose them.”
  • “Who is getting it right and what are they doing? How do we find that out and bring it together and elevate it in Rochester?”
 
PECAN parent leaders are invited to stay in touch with this project by completing this form or emailing Tina Carney, PLTI Project Assistant. Learn more about the Teach Rochester website. 
News from StriveTogether
StriveTogether Learning Digest
Each month, StriveTogether publishes a Learning Digest to equip partnerships on their journey towards system transformation. We invite you to dig into the resources they have available, plus case studies from partnerships in Baltimore, Tulsa and Norwalk.
Making Child Care More Affordable
A major win for families in Monroe County
Monroe County announced changes to the childcare assistance program that will make care affordable for thousands of families in our community. Here's what you need to know:

  • Co-payments for enrolled families will be capped at 1% of their income.
  • The application process has been streamlined so more families can benefit.
  • Eligible families are guaranteed 1 full year of assistance with few exceptions.
  • Providers will be paid for up to 80 days of a child's absence.

There is NO WAITLIST right now. Spread the word that assistance is available.

To learn more and download the application, go to https://www.monroecounty.gov/hs-daycare or call 585-753-6960 to request a child care application packet.
COVID-19 Information for Families
Return to Play
COVID-19 can pose risks to kids and teens' hearts. This guidance was developed by physicians of the Finger Lakes Reopening Schools Safely health workgroup. This was based on American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines for children to safely return to exercise (sports and physical education)
after recovering from COVID-19. This guidance is intended to keep children as safe as possible.
Upcoming Events
Cradle to Career News
ROC the Future | www.rocthefuture.org