Innovate, Create, and Elevate: Child Care as Infrastructure
Overview | Session Materials | Resources | Speakers and Panelists | Acknowledgements
Overview
On September 16 and 17, 2024, the LISC Child Care and Early Learning team held a Child Care is Infrastructure regional convening at historic Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, MO. Over 50 participants representing diverse geographies and backgrounds were in attendance, engaging in an immersive experience of expert perspectives, essential information, peer learning, networking & inspiration. Topics covered included funding opportunties through a federal and local policy lens, strategic partnerships, and infrastructure supply building strategies.
Session Materials
Session 1: Funding – Zooming Out, Then In
Session: 2 Stakeholders & the Roles They Play
Session 3: Keynote Speaker Former Mayor Sly James
Resources
Finance and Funding
- Children’s Funding Project Featured Resources
- NACo’s Counties for Kids Resources
- The Role of Counties in Early Childhood (NACo Slides)
Innovative Partnerships
- LISC’s Child Care Co-location Impact Calculator
- LISC’s Engaging Employers Guidance
- Fall Convening Participant Directory
- Stakeholder Analysis Worksheet
Building Supply of Child Care
- Child Care Site Evaluation Checklist
- Child Care Physical Environment Checklist
- Family Home Based Child Care Physical Environment Checklist
- 2019 Rhode Island Early Learning Facilities Needs Assessment
- 2023 Data Mapping: Supply and Demand in Rhode Island
- 2022 Landscape Analysis of Child Care and Early Learning in Arizona
Speakers and Panelists
We will be joined by a diverse group of public and private sector representatives to discuss strategies, planning, partnerships, and lessons learned. Confirmed speakers and panelists include:
Michelle Audette-Bauman
Lead Developer, Edison Community Partners
Kalamazoo, MI
Erik Bergrud
Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Kansas City, MO
Alexis Bustamante Delaney
Vice President of Early Childhood Education, Guadalupe Centers Early Childhood Center
Kansas City, MO
Kevin Ford
Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo (SPK) Coordinator, City of Kalama-zoo
Kalamazoo, MI
Clyde McQueen
President and Chief Executive Officer, Full Employment Council (FEC)
Kansas City, MO
Dr. Toni Sturdivant
Director of Early Learning and Head Start, Mid-America Regional Council
Kansas City, MO
Greg Kindle
President, Wyandotte County Economic Development Council
Kansas City, KS
Nicole Barcliff
Senior Policy Director, LISC
Washington, D.C.
Bevin Parker-Cerkez
National Program Director of Child Care and Early Learning, LISC
Philadelphia, PA
Sly James
Former Mayor of Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
Geoff Jolley
Executive Director, LISC Greater Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
Daniel Serda, Ph.D.
Program Officer, Economic Development, LISC Greater Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
Acknowledgements
This convening was made possible by Building Innovation for Equitable Child Care program funder, Pivotal Ventures. We want to thank our funders and partners at Pivotal Ventures for their commitment to building a resilient child care system.
We would also like to extend our immense gratitude for the incredible support and thought partnership of Brien Starner, Director, Community Development & Real Estate at the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and Daniel Serda, Program Officer, Economic Development at LISC Greater Kansas City.