1. Effective Business Partnerships for Early Education
Symposium on “Early Childhood Education for the Future”
Sara Watson
Director, ReadyNation
Executive Vice President, America’s Promise Alliance
ReadyNation is a project of

2. Lessons learned in mobilizing them
Three points
Business organizations are taking action across the country with public and nonproft partners
Lessons learned in mobilizing them
How ReadyNation can help you
September 18, 2018

3. Early childhood on the business agenda
September 18, 2018

4. Home-grown Business Coalitions for Early Childhood
Diverse models:
Multi-purpose biz organizations
Stand-alone
Affiliated with children’s groups
Quasi-government
Keys to success:
Menu of actions – public and private
Strictly business, nonpartisan image
Cooperate with advocates –
sometimes behind the scenes

5. One type of action – Supporting policy change
Businesses Urged To Invest in Kids
By Polly Summar Journal Staff Writer November 06, 2009
If New Mexico doesn't invest in human capital — the education of its children — it will see two inevitable results: External capital won't want to invest here, and “talented young adults in New Mexico will want to move out.”
Those stinging words Thursday came from Robert H. Dugger, a financial manager who warned that the business community needs to get involved with state policies toward education.
He spoke to some 200 New Mexico business and

6. Policy Results
Virginia JobOne: In 2010 business leaders turned proposed cuts in home visiting into 25% increase; increased pre-k to reach 7% more children.
New Mexico BRT: Enacted Early Care and Education Act in 2011; $14.3 million additional for early childhood in 2012.
Colorado EPIC: Employer toolkit for family-friendly workplaces.
Pennsylvania Early Learning Inv. Comm.: Created local scholarship fund for early learning centers. State funding on pre-k up per child rose
The breadth and depth of business involvement in early childhood issues is growing and can have an impact at all levels of government.
Funding +72%
Children +38%
National: From 2006 – 2011, state funding on pre-k rose from $3.2 billion, serving 942,000 children to $5.5 billion, serving 1.3 million children.

7. Second type of action – Support programs
Partner With National Non-Profits
Merck & Reach Out and Read: Employee Volunteer Reader Program in medical sites
Use Topic Area Expertise
National Grid’s STEM Kit for Teachers
Partnered with Boston Children’s Museum to create a STEM teaching kit
Kits are used in early childhood settings (family childcare, preschool, Head Start, etc.)
Develop Creative Finance Tools
The Erie’s Future Fund
Scholarship fund for public and private,
quality early learning centers
Nebraska Early Education Endowment (Sixpence)
$40 million from the state dept of ed/$20 million private
Funds high quality 0-3 parenting and child care programs
Reach Out and Read and Merck:
In December 2011, The Merck Company Foundation awarded Reach Out and Read $35,000 to launch the Reach Out and Read New Jersey/Merck Employee Volunteer Reader Program. The Program was implemented in six stages:
Reach Out and Read staff members selected 5-7 of their medical sites located near Merck facilities, and met with site personnel (clinicians, volunteer coordinators, etc.) to outline project goals.
Reach Out and Read’s staff held Volunteer Information Sessions at Merck facilities, where employees learned about the early literacy mission.
Partnering pediatricians led two Volunteer Reader Training sessions at Merck facilities. Employees were familiarized with the latest early literacy research and shown how to model dialogic (interactive) read-aloud techniques. Upon completion of training, each employee received a certificate.
Staff placed Merck volunteers at medical sites convenient to where employees worked and lived.
Each Merck volunteer committed to making 12 site visits over a 6-month period. Volunteers modeled sharing picture books with young children, and offered advice to parents on getting children excited about books.
At the conclusion of the project, site personnel completed assessment questions measuring the effectiveness of the partnership.
National Grid’s STEM Kit for Teachers
National Grid has partnered with the Boston Children’s Museum to create a new teaching kit designed to improve teaching and learning of STEM among young children and their educators and childcare providers.
Kits are primarily for use in early childhood in family childcare, preschool, Head Start settings; as well as in K0 and K1 public schools.
National Grid uses its expertise in STEM to develop the teaching kit and assists with the training of teachers and distribution of kits to schools across Massachusetts.
The kit is also used in workshops at the Boston Children’s Museum.
September 18, 2018

8. Lessons Learned Know what you want before you engage business
Neither rubber stamp nor War and Peace
Meet them where they live
Know what’s it in for them – many hooks, including industry-specific
Good to hear messages from many quarters – professional associations and local leaders
Don’t mix fundraising with advocacy
No surprises
September 18, 2018

9. How we can help
Models of coalition design, business orientation to early childhood
Best practices from other states
Connections to peers from other states
Materials you can adapt/brand
Showcase for local champions and action
National Business Summit on Early Childhood, Sept 22-23, Atlanta

10. New research/tools to make the economic case
More than 20 research products:
Economic benefits of nutrition, housing, health, etc.
Economic development benefits of EC
Communicating the brain science
Size of youth human capital sector
ROI of kindergarten readiness
New: Short-term benefits
New: Web page on Social Impact Bonds
Coming soon:
If you care about STEM, you should care about early ed: the case for high technology companies

11. Connections with others
One-stop shop website
Partnerships with national orgs –
U.S. Chamber, NAM, CED,
U.S. Hispanic Chamber
E-newsletter to 4,000 members
with successes, research, media
Profiles of champions
ReadyNation pledge – more than 600 names including James Heckman, Oklahoma CEO George Kaiser, former WV Governor Bob Wise