I hope this month's newsletter finds you and yours well. This past month has flown by, and I am still in denial that summer is coming to an end here shortly!
Our biggest news this past month is that our Compass Early Learning Center has received accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Only 11% of centers nation-wide achieve this status, which puts us on the map as an organization that prioritizes the quality of curriculum and care for young children. We are the ONLY center in Monroe County that is licensed and accredited that offers a sliding scale, making us accessible to families who would otherwise not afford a quality early learning program. I am so proud of the hard work of my colleagues, especially our Compass directors Brittney Denton and Stacy Jones; their leadership has been fundamental in this achievement.
Over the past month, I've also been enjoying the opportunity to re-learn some of my Spanish language skills, thanks to a grant from the Trinity Outreach Commission that focused on language inclusion. In the Self-Sufficiency Center, we work with many Spanish-speaking families each week and we have been utilizing a two-way translation device that has allowed us to get by, but it is just so much more meaningful to connect with people directly rather than through a machine. If any of you reading can speak Spanish and are willing to help me practice, I would welcome the opportunity - please send me an email and I'd love to take you to coffee and chat!
I hope you enjoy this newsletter and I look forward to connecting with you this fall.
Only 11% of all childcare centers nationwide achieve accreditation through NAEYC. The process takes more than two years of self-study, requires Lead staff have or be in pursuit of higher education degrees in early learning, and culminates in a day-long visit where a rater independently audits every aspect of the program, facility, paperwork, and more. A score of 80% is needed for a program to achieve accreditation. Compass passed with a 95.02%.
Currently, 64% of Monroe County children ages 0-4 do nothave a spot in a licensed childcare center. In recent years, the number of children in Monroe County in this age group has increased by nine percent (City of Bloomington SCAN 50), while spaces in licensed centers have decreased. Compass Early Learning Center currently offers 84 spots and is the only licensed and accredited center in Monroe County that specifically targets families caught between the end of social safety net programs (vouchers, Section 8, SNAP, etc.) and true self-sufficiency. The Compass Early Learning Center has been running continually since its inception in 1939.
The Compass Early Learning Center is overseen by Program Director Brittney Denton and Education Director Stacy Jones. Compass is an umbrella program of Monroe County United Ministries, led by Executive Director Katie Broadfoot, who has been at MCUM since 2013.
In January, Compass will open its 6th classroom, extending the reach of its accredited program by 10 additional toddlers.
Political violence, ethnic persecution, civil war, murder. These are horrible words, but they still fail to capture the horror faced by human beings all around the world, in countries such as Honduras, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Colombia, Syria, and beyond. In Bloomington, asylum seekers waiting for their legal status to be determined are aided by the Refugee Support Network. As the head of the organization and primary client-facing representative, Pete Lenzen has heard countless stories of personal tragedy and loss. Yet, despite the pain, grief, and trauma, he says his clients are unbelievably resilient and determined to build a better life for themselves and their children. But when they arrive here, they have nothing, and must wait for work authorization approval before they can earn an income.
That is where MCUM steps in. When they first arrive, Pete brings refugee families to MCUM to stock their pantries, find climate-appropriate clothing, and acquire the necessary goods to run a household. MCUM is proud to help these families get on their feet while they begin the process of establishing a new life. We are also grateful for the work of Pete Lenzen and the volunteers at the Refugee Support Network, who coordinate the transportation of refugee families to our Self-Sufficiency Center. By supporting MCUM and the Refugee Support Network, you are playing a part in helping these families escape unlivable situations and create a new future for their themselves and their children.
MCUM's Unique Approach
MCUM’s clients are encouraged to enroll in Your Path, our economic mobility mentoring program, in which participants set both short- and long-term goals toward self-sufficiency. Your Path uses an innovative multigenerational model developed by Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) that helps clients determine ways to combat the debilitating effects of poverty on their families. EMPath focuses on developing strategies in three key areas: external outcomes, internal sense of self, and familial relations. Recently, this model was expanded through the Intergenerational Mobility Project, in which mobility mentoring coaches use Bridge assessments to understand and address the specific ways poverty impacts families.
The Intergenerational Mobility Project is metric-based, mentor-led, and uses incentives to support individuals as they work toward achieving a unique set of goals and outcomes. This approach empowers low-income individuals and families because it stimulates the development of broader social networks and recognizes achievements in key domains such as family stability, well-being, education and training, financial management, and career management. The numerous successes of participants in the Intergenerational Mobility Project are promising for MCUM clients who continue to participate in Your Path. On a broader scale, these programs also prove it is possible for low-income Americans to achieve economic and social mobility through intentional, comprehensive, and multigenerational interventions.
