Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati this week joined The Hunt Institute’s prestigious Early Childhood Leadership Summit that runs Wednesday, Sept. 4 to today, Sept. 6.
She was attending the summit after being selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of The Institute’s Early Learning Nation Fellowship. The ELN Fellowship is a prestigious program designed to support locally elected officials who are committed to establishing their communities as national leaders in early childhood education.
The summit was designed by former four-term North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, the institute said. It is an invitation-only, bipartisan gathering of state teams composed of senior elected officials, gubernatorial staff, mayors, local elected leaders and key early childhood system leaders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Among the presenters is Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Pritzker Family Foundation’s Pritzker Children’s Initiative.
Ms. Rayapati and the Moline City Council are deeply committed to supporting early childhood education, viewing it as a critical investment in the community’s future, the city said in a news release.
“Moline’s commitment is reflected in the $315,000 allocation of American Recovery Plan Act resources that supported strong partnerships with 7 local childcare providers, including Western Illinois University, and creating 236 new childcare opportunities for Moline Families,” the Moline mayor added in the release.
The fellowship was founded on the belief that all young children deserve a great start in life, and this critical goal can be met only if local leaders are at the center of the work, according to the institute. This inaugural cohort of fellows will include more than 100 mayors, school board members, city and county council members, and other elected stakeholders from across the country.
The ELN Fellows’ first meeting on Aug. 22 was conducted virtually and included review of the program’s structure and goals and time to share initial thoughts on the kinds of local action that will make a difference in the early childhood landscape in their communities.
The cohort held its second meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, Sept. 4. There fellows engaged with one another to learn more about how to navigate local policies that impact early childhood issues. Ms. Rayapati and others joined senior-level state elected officials, gubernatorial staff, and key early childhood system leaders from Illinois at The Hunt Institute’s Early Childhood Leadership Summit.
“The early childhood landscape can be complex, especially at the local level, and I’m pleased to see so many locally elected officials from across the country come together to focus on investing time in this area,” The Hunt Institute’s President & CEO Dr. Javaid Siddiqi said. “Equipping policymakers with access to research and national experts is an essential step in building stronger early childhood systems.”
For more information go to http://www.hunt-institute.org/
