Previous Meeting Highlights

We had an incredible afternoon of community, connection, and high-impact strategy! 🌟 Summary On Tuesday, September 1st, early learning leaders from across Miami-Dade gathered at The Children's Trust for the EELE Quarterly In-Person Meeting. Together, we celebrated our coalition's recent growth and unlocked two major capacity-building partnerships designed to directly support your center, teachers, and enrollment numbers! Here is your essential recap and immediate action plan so that you can jump straight on these new opportunities! 🔥 Key Speakers Chanelle Pough, Executive Director of the Florida Early Learning Corps: They provide dedicated tutors placed directly in your three to five-year-old classrooms to deliver proven, evidence-based early literacy and math support. Over 85% of participating students achieve kindergarten readiness! Tutors also help lighten the load for your lead teachers while accelerating student growth. Viviana Alvarado Pacheco, The Women’s Fund: Viviana provided an exclusive first look at the TOOTRiS platform. TOOTRiS offers state-of-the-art tools to help childcare providers increase enrollment, simplify management, and connect with working parents seeking quality care. What’s more, TOOTRiS will serve as the platform for the Women’s Fund’s pilot program Business 2 Business (B2B) – an exciting test of employer-sponsored child care tuition assistance. Main Discussions EELE Resource Hub & What’s Ahead: We are hard at work finalizing the brand-new EELE Online Community & Resource Hub! Stay tuned for more announcements on how this digital space will give you 24/7 access to advocacy tools, peer networking, and operational templates. Action Items 🗓️ Mark Your Calendar: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET 📌 Event: EELE In-Person Network Meeting Acknowledgments A big thank you to The Children’s Trust for providing our meeting location, and our presenters Chanelle Pough and Viviana Alvarado Pacheco for making a successful meeting happen! 🌟 Contact Information Empowering Early Learning Educators (EELE): www.empoweringearlylearningeducators.com | Instagram: @EmpoweringEarlyLearning Florida Early Learning Corps: Chanelle Pough (chanelle.pough@ampact.us / 305-432-1792) | Deontre’ Clayton (deontre.clayton@ampact.us) TOOTRiS Contacts: Viviana Alvarado Pacheco (viviana@womensfundmiami.org) | Kayla Brock (kayla@womensfundmiami.org) Check out this meeting on Instagram Social Media Page: @EmpoweringEarlyLearning

May 21st Meeting Recap Focus & Partnerships: Hosted at KIPP Miami, this meeting brought powerhouse leaders together to connect and share high-impact community resources. We also gathered insights for a virtual platform to help provide easier access to day-to-day information & resources. Key Highlights: Featured presentations from The Lucy Project on their upcoming Unlocking Literacy Conference (introducing dedicated tracks for Birth-to-5 and Leadership), new supply partnerships with the Miami Diaper Bank, and professional development opportunities through United Way Miami’s CFE Conference. This event took place KIPP Miami - North CampusMiami, FL Thursday, May 21  •  12 PM - 2 PM

February 19th Meeting Recap Focus & Strategy: Hosted at Creative Learning Center, this session focused on launching our 2026 strategic roadmap (covering property standards, coalition growth, and strategic wins) and leveraging data to prove early learning is the backbone of the Florida economy. Key Highlights: Featured a powerful data presentation by Marya from The Women’s Fund, followed by board members taking that advocacy data directly to legislators at Children’s Week in Tallahassee. The event also highlighted resources from Abby Care, Parent to Parent Miami, Ron (Unprofessional Development), Uplift Literacy, and Survival Response. This event took place: The Creative Learning Center, Miami, FL Thursday, February 19 • 11 AM - 1 PM

On October 22nd, the Empowering Early Learning Educators (EELE) coalition hosted a vibrant Networking Happy Hour at Chabella Mexican Fusion in Homestead. With delicious food, meaningful conversation, and plenty of laughter, the event brought together childcare center owners, allies, and community partners to build connections and celebrate EELE’s mission of collaboration over competition. This casual, energetic gathering created space for early learning professionals to share ideas, learn from each other, and strengthen the supportive network that defines EELE. Attendees also enjoyed fun raffles and shared feedback that confirmed what we already suspected: these in-person moments of connection are powerful and needed. Thank you to everyone who joined us! If you’re a childcare provider or supporter in South Miami-Dade, we’d love to connect. Become a member or ally (for free!) and stay tuned for more happy hours, workshops, and opportunities to build together. We’re stronger together. Join the movement!

At our September Impact Meeting, early childhood leaders came together to shape a collective vision for the future of childcare in Miami-Dade. We explored powerful workforce solutions like the Miami Dade College Apprenticeship Program and dove into practical strategies for leadership, operations, and advocacy through small-group discussions. Shaleen Fagundo shared EELE’s roadmap for growth, and Marya Mayer of The Women’s Fund offered an advocacy crash course on Chambers of Commerce. We also celebrated Juanita Walker for her founding vision and ongoing leadership, honoring the spark that started it all. The energy was electric, and the message was clear: when early learning leaders unite, we can build something powerful. Don’t miss the next one. We’re just getting started!

EELE’s April Coalition Meeting, hosted in collaboration with The Children’s Movement of Florida, brought early learning leaders together at The Creative Learning Center for a powerful conversation on advocacy, business support, and collective action. Speakers shared practical strategies for building relationships with elected officials, supporting working families, and engaging businesses in the early learning movement. We explored key policy updates, connected with new members, and emphasized the power of peer support. We also introduced ways to amplify our voices, like sharing family stories, completing Florida’s early learning cost model survey, and expanding our network. Special thanks to The Creative Learning Center for hosting, and to EELE founder Juanita Walker, whose vision continues to drive our movement forward. Ready to take action? Join the coalition, bring a friend, and let’s keep building momentum together!