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This month, Learn to Earn Dayton kicked off the second year of our Early Grade Literacy Collaborative's demonstration project -- Mighty Classrooms -- in partnership with Trotwood-Madison School District. With support from the Iddings Foundation, Learn to Earn Dayton partnered with the Trotwood-Madison City School District to pilot a transition-to-first grade classroom at their Early Learning Center for the 2022-2023 school year. The blended classroom, known as “Mighty Rams,” centered early grade literacy and focused on family engagement to encourage increased attendance. Now, in the second year of the pilot, we have grown from a single blended classroom to three true-to-age classrooms (K, 1st, 2nd). Mighty Classrooms are part of an effort to develop a scalable model for early grade students to reach higher levels of literacy proficiency and academic achievement, by focusing on family engagement and attendance. Teachers, administrators, and partners at the school are critical to the success of the program and we are so grateful for their dedicated support. At Trotwood-Madison, all students benefit from highly engaging classrooms focused on the science of reading. At this year's orientation, families learned about why Mighty Classrooms are different -- namely the out of school time enhancements provided by Learn to Earn Dayton for the families. Those include: incentives for student attendance, family engagement opportunities, "Reading is Lit!" literacy boxes delivered to homes, text tips to support student learning when out of school, 4.5 weekly hours of high-dosage tutoring (in partnership with University of Dayton), and caregiver education opportunities. Parents and caregivers are dedicated to their student's success and our young "mighty" learners are ready to start the school year. We're excited for the new year to begin! Are you an educator interested in learning more about Mighty Classrooms or the Early Grade Literacy Collaborative? Contact Stacy Schweikhart.

The mission of DREAM, the Diversity Recruitment Educators Association for Miami Valley, is unifying efforts to recruit, support and mentor Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) educators by coordinating recruiting, mentoring and growing professionals across the Miami Valley. We are working together as DREAM to increase the recruitment and retention of diverse educators in the Dayton, OH and Miami Valley Region. Studies show Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, and white students all benefit from having diverse educators. Passionate diverse educators of color provide positive role models, set high expectations, reduce negative discipline occurrences, and help students achieve better outcomes. We are working together across our districts to implement exciting new strategies for recruiting high-quality teachers that represent the diversity of our communities and our students. DREAM is also committed to supporting our current teachers by providing engaging workshops and professional development opportunities to create a more inclusive classroom experience. We hope you will join us and consider how you might be involved in changing the lives of children and transforming our neighborhoods and schools. Learn more by connecting with Stacy Schweikhart.

In early 2023, Learn to Earn Dayton introduced a new concept as part of the Readiness Summit -- Literacy Boxes to support early grade reading proficiency. Now, after months of development, testing, and preparation, Learn to Earn Dayton (L2ED) and ThinkTV PBS are pleased to unveil “Reading is Lit” boxes for young students. Each box features a grade-level aligned book and multiple hands-on learning activities and engaging videos for families to support literacy at home. As part of L2ED’s Early Grade Literacy Collaborative, the boxes were distributed to students and families who participate in "Mighty Classrooms" (a L2ED demonstration classroom) at Trotwood-Madison City Schools on November 15, 2023. A second round of boxes will be distributed in the spring, helping students and families step-up with their literacy skills. The pilot project is possible with support from the Iddings Foundation, The Dayton Foundation’s Del Mar Encore Fellow Initiative, and CenterPoint Energy Foundation. L2ED hopes to expand the program to develop a full set of eight (8) boxes, in order to provide this valuable to resource to students throughout their early grade journey. The team is strategically scaling the work to reach more students across Montgomery County. In addition to the book and hands-on activities in the box, ThinkTV provides access to curriculum aligned videos, songs, online activities and digital engagement (accessed via QR codes on each box). In a day and age when digital literacy is a critical component of learning, this partnership drives families to high-quality educational web sites in support of healthy engagement. Follow us as Reading is Lit grows, and check out the photos from the Harvest Party at Trotwood-Madison Early Learning Center where students got the first look. If you have questions or are interested in getting involved, please contact Stacy Schweikhart. Pictured: Walt Hibner (left) and Michelle Beer (third from left) from CenterPoint Energy Foundation presented a donation to the Learn to Earn Dayton team of (from left) Stacy Schweikhart, Wesley Biles, II, Maya Dorsey, and Erika Pimentel and ThinkTV coordinator Diane Kroplin (far right).

Shauna Kaczynski recently joined the Learn to Earn Dayton team as Assistant to the CEO and Office Manager. In this role, Shauna serves as a high-level liaison for both the Board of Trustees and staff of Learn to Earn Dayton. This position is responsible for the execution of strategies to support the governing body and its various committees, and to support the recruitment, onboarding and development for staff within the organization. The Assistant helps to coordinate, advance and report progress on the goals of the strategic plan by ensuring that the Board and the staff are engaged in its development and execution. Shauna brings nearly a decade of public sector experience, most recently serving as the Clerk of Council for the City of Kettering. She is from Northwest Dayton, a graduate of Dayton Public Schools, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management. After working with Learn to Earn Dayton in a contracting capacity since 2020, Philip Ferrari was officially hired in April 2024 and serves as the Manager of Data & Impact. Philip is responsible for supporting local and statewide partnerships and projects in data collection, analysis, and reporting. Philip also serves as the state liaison for the Children's Funding Project, an initiative to develop and maintain equitably coordinated funding for comprehensive programs and services. He brings a wealth of non-profit experience to his role, most recently as Director of Community Impact at the YMCA of Greater Dayton, and Graduate Research Assistant to the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement at Wright State University. Philip earned his BA from Heidelberg University in Adolescent-Young-Adult Education and MPA from Wright State University.

At the last Board of Trustees meeting, Learn to Earn Dayton recognized and thanked several board members whose terms are coming to a close. We appreciate the dedicated service and thoughtful leadership that these individuals have shared with us. Our thanks to Vanessa Ward, Colleen Ryan, Tim Kambitsch, and Bob Curry (not pictured).

Early Grade Literacy Collaborative, with Learn to Earn Dayton, hosted author Ken Williams last Thursday for a dynamic community conversation on his impactful book, Ruthless Equity. It was an opportunity for insightful dialogue and to delve deeper into important topics with the community. Special thanks to the Dayton Art Institute for sponsoring a luncheon with Mr. Williams. Christopher James, from Preschool Promise, gave a presentation on Black Boy Brilliance during the event.

Donerik Black joined the L2ED team in January as Manager of Place-Based Strategies. In this role Donerik is responsible for managing and implementing place-based initiatives and leading engagement efforts with internal and external stakeholders to ensure cross-sector, outreach, and activities related to place-based partnerships. In previous roles, Donerik has worked with banking foundations and the City of Dayton to ensure that small, minority, and woman-owned businesses obtained foundational skills to grow. He also served as the Executive Director of Unified Health Solutions, providing educational support for neighborhood schools. Donerik received his B.S. in business from Washington Adventist University in 1993 and his M.B.A. in business from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2017. Shelby Quinlivan also joined the L2ED in January as Manager of Communications and Special Projects. In this role, Shelby will be leading content development and external relations for both Learn to Earn Dayton and DO STEM. She brings a depth of knowledge in best communication practices from a career crossing private industry, public service, and nonprofit, as well as the owner of her own strategic communication firm where she consulted with organizations and entrepreneurs in need of public relations, media relations, social media, copy writing, and marketing. She previously served as Community Relations and Development Manager for Washington-Centerville Public Library and Communications Manager for the City of Middletown. Shelby graduated from the University of Dayton with a BA in Communications.

The City of Dayton Human Relations Council, with Learn to Earn Dayton, invites community members to learn about Housing Resources from area experts on Tuesday, May 21 from 6-8 PM at Dayton Metro Library - Northwest Branch. Food and refreshments will be provided. Experts include Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, the Dayton Tenant Union, the Dayton Mediation Center, and the Nalls Davis law firm. Housing Rights and Resources Panel supports the Power of Place Plan, A Resident Vision for Northwest Dayton. Residents identified housing rights and resources as a specific priority during the planning process. For more information, call 937.333.1400.

Learn to Earn Dayton CEO Stacy Schweikhart and CEO Emeritus Tom Lasley were recently guests on the Getting Smart podcast to share the importance of having strategies in place to impact performance metrics, especially in closing gaps between students based on race or identity. They discussed the importance of early interest & aptitude assessments, aligned coursework and individualized career navigation. "We should prioritize the role of navigators in leading students to successful career paths." Learn to Earn Dayton recently participated in a design team as a part of the Accelerate ED initiative, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Accelerate ED is built on the idea that high schools can provide early access to quality higher education in ways that incorporate work-connected learning and have long-term benefits for students. This initiative helps state-based groups plan and build accelerated pathways between K-12 education, post-secondary education, and careers. The Getting Smart Podcast covers trends, innovations and insights in K-12, higher ed, lifelong learning, leadership, investing and more.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has awarded Wright State University, in collaboration with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center and Learn to Earn Dayton, a $230,364 grant to empower local educators and enhance educational opportunities for students across the Dayton region. The grant will be used to fund a new initiative to enable more area teachers to earn valuable credentials, equipping them with the necessary qualifications to teach College Credit Plus (CCP) courses. CCP is separate from programs like AP or IB classes, which many public schools also offer. Any student in Ohio can access CCP. That includes homeschool students, private school students, and public school students. “The ability to increase the number of faculty who can teach College Credit Plus courses in our high schools is critical to efforts to meet the educational needs of students and the workforce goals of our community,” said Shannon Cox, superintendent of the Montgomery County Educational Service Center. Further details on how area teachers can take advantage of this opportunity will be communicated through Wright State University - Learn to Earn Dayton will share this information when available. Excerpts from Dayton Daily News article from April 20, 2024.

Join Miami Valley Fair Housing for a final listening session - "to put on record the environmental impacts of redlining as experienced by residents and former residents from West and Northwest Dayton." During the session, light refreshments will be provided and opportunities to win Gem City Market gift cards will be available. WHEN: Thursday, May 2, 5:30-7:30 PM WHERE: AAVAG Art Gallery CSU-Dayton Campus, 840 Germantown St., 2nd Floor Dayton, OH 45402 Register in advance at the Miami Valley Fair Housing website. If you have questions, please email John Zimmerman at john.zimmerman@mvfairhousing.com.

The Urban Institute has announced Dayton as one of 26 localities nationwide that have joined its Mobility Action Learning Network as part of its Upward Mobility Initiative. This initiative aims to provide communities like ours with additional tools and support to increase upward mobility and racial equity for residents. Learn to Earn Dayton submitted the application to the network in collaboration with Montgomery County and the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community – focusing on the impact of the Two-Generation Collaborative, comprising partner organizations from across the region focused on poverty reduction through strengthened education and workforce opportunities. The Mobility Action Learning Network will provide our local team with training and technical assistance through 2024 as work is done to incorporate strategies and solutions that promote mobility and equity in the Montgomery County region. Learn to Earn Dayton CEO Stacy Schweikhart said, "Learn to Earn Dayton's work with the national Urban Institute Upward Mobility Network underscores our commitment to ensuring all members of our community can thrive - regardless of race, gender or zip code. This opportunity will allow all of the partners in the Montgomery County Two-Generation Collaborative to leverage the resources, tools, and training provided by the Urban Institute to create better pathways to economic mobility in our community." Erica Fields from Learn to Earn Dayton, Jessica Jenkins from Montgomery County Human Services Planning and Development, and Nancy McHugh from the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community attended the Urban Institute Mobility Action Learning Network Exchange in Washington, D.C. in January, representing our region. This team will serve as the representatives of the work, bringing lessons back to the Two-Generation Collaborative to benefit all of Dayton.