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On December 12, 2023, the Northwest Dayton Community Investment Fund announced eight organizations will receive a total of $637,015 in funding to implement projects in support of the resident-led Power of Place plan. First launched in 2021, as part of the Northwest Dayton Partnership and funded by $1.45 million from Blue Meridian Partners, the Community Investment Fund is a model for trust-based philanthropy. It serves as a tangible example of the good that is possible by placing the power of philanthropy in the hands of the neighbors who will benefit from the proposed programs. Because of the success in the first round, The Dayton Foundation led a fundraising effort to launch a second round of funding. The call for applications for the second round opened on August 1, 2023. Dozens of organizations participated in information sessions and relied on the guidance of Learn to Earn Dayton staff to develop strong proposals. There were 21 eligible proposals submitted by the September 15, 2023, deadline with a total request of more than $1.6 million. Because the interest far exceeded the funds available for distribution, the Community Review Panel of six Northwest Dayton community members carefully considered each proposal. The Community Review Panel met numerous times throughout the fall, considering how the proposed projects align with the Power of Place plan to advance outcomes in the priority areas of K-12 Education, Housing, Early Childhood Education, and Community + Culture. Based on community review and selection criteria, the Review Panel chose eight proposals for funding, totaling $637,015 in investment. Because Learn to Earn Dayton serves as the administrative coordinator for the Community Investment Fund, the review panel's recommendation was presented to the Learn to Earn Board of Directors for final endorsement. Consistent with Learn to Earn Dayton’s commitment to support capacity-building for individuals and organizations serving northwest Dayton, a series of technical assistance workshops will be provided to help organizations focus on establishing measurable outcomes, evaluation and metrics systems, and continuous improvement processes. The awarded organizations came together for their first meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, where they met one another, shared project plans, and set their own priorities for the capacity building and professional development that will be provided over the course of the year-long grant period. Thank you to everyone who has made this project a reality! Community Review Panel: Rachel Cochran, Emily Gomez, Jerome Haney, Audrey Logan, Dedra Porter, Lauretta Williams Organizations receiving funding include: Abundant Life Christ Centered Ministries Dayton Equity Center Grace Urban Development Hatch Architects Spectrum New Beginnings Tops Advantage Valens Solutions Youth House Thank you to the following partners who generously donated to center the philanthropic power for decision making to the residents who live in Northwest Dayton. The Dayton Foundation  |  Mathile Family Foundation  |  Jeff and Ellen Ireland Fund  |  CareSource Foundation  |  Kettering Foundation  |  Charles D. Berry Foundation  |  Ms. Valerie A. Lemmie  |  Harry W. & Margaret Moore Foundation  |  Tait Foundation About Learn to Earn Dayton Learn to Earn Dayton fosters the success of all Montgomery County children from birth until they graduate from college or earn a high-quality credential. Our big goal is for 60 percent of Montgomery County's working-age adults to have a 2-year or 4-year college degree or a high-quality credential.

University of Dayton Basketball player, Koby Brea, visited with students at Trotwood-Madison Early Learning Center to inspire a love of reading and encourage them to show up to school every day. Koby read books, signed artwork created by the students, and answered questions. This is part of a regional attendance campaign supported by Learn to Earn Dayton and Dayton 6th. The students are part of Learn to Earn Dayton's "Mighty Classroom" initiative that encourages student attendance and family engagement to lead to increased academic achievement.

Did you know that Learn to Earn Dayton is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization? As a nonprofit, we can benefit from some great programs in our local community -- and YOU can help! If you shop at either Kroger or Dorothy Lane Market, you can link your shopper card to Learn to Earn Dayton. Your grocery store will add up your purchases throughout the year and make a small donation to us in your honor. It's at NO CHARGE to you, and you only have to register once (or once a year). WHY is it free to you? Our partners at Kroger and Dorothy Lane Market use this as a way to direct their own charitable gifts because they want to give to the places their customers like. This is how you can tell them you believe in the mission of Learn to Earn Dayton! Even though it's free -- it can do a lot of good! Here's how: Kroger Shoppers: Learn to Earn Dayton participates in the "Kroger Community Rewards" program. This means that Kroger Plus Card members can select L2ED as a "preferred charity," and we will get a donation from Kroger every quarter. If you are a Kroger Plus Card customer, log into your digital account (online at your computer or through an app on your tablet phone) and enter our name or number (Learn to Earn Dayton = KL731). Dorothy Lane Market Shoppers: Learn to Earn Dayton is Organization #998 as part of DLM's "Good Neighbor" program. It's easy to sign up! Go online at dorothylane.com/club-dlm/good-neighbor (or you can print and fill out this form and return it to guest services). It's so simple. Just by completing your regular shopping trips, you'll get food to fuel your family while also fueling the L2ED mission for stronger student outcomes. Thanks for your support!

It's been announced that the new FAFSA form will go live at the end of the month. But that doesn't mean you should wait to get started! Securing a Federal Student Aid ID is the first step in the process. It is strongly encocouraged that all parties set up their FSA ID several days prior to completing the FAFSA. Confirming each person's FSA IDs and can take a few days to process. Here's what you need to know: Accessing the online FAFSA will require each person (student, parent, spouse) to have an FSA ID. What is an FSA ID?  Here is a link for step-by-step instructions! Who is/are your contributor(s)?  Click here to see! If you are a contributor without a social security number, read this to learn about how to secure an FSA ID. Get all this and more by reviewing this helpful tip sheet put together by the College Access Coordinator from MCESC. Other helpful resources include: Federal Student Aid web site Info from the National College Attainment Network What to expect from the new FAFSA (commercial website contains ads)

The famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin reads, "'If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." Planning is a critical first step to develop a clear roadmap for stronger schools and student success. That is why Learn to Earn Dayton was pleased to support Dayton Public Schools in the creation of an academic action plan for student success. The plan focuses on benchmarks toward student success, including regular attendance, third grade reading, eighth grade math, disciplinary actions, and college and career readiness, as well as developing a positive culture and climate where students and staff feel safe and supported. The unveiling of the plan was featured in the Dayton Daily News, and Dr. David Lawrence shared details in the video below. Get additional details by viewing a recent school board meeting where Associate Superintendent Lisa Minor and Chief Academic Officer Akisha Shehee presented the plan to the board. Learn to Earn Dayton collects, analyzes, and reports on educational data for the region, disaggregated as needed for districts/communities. We will continue to support this effort in leveraging data to track progress toward the targeted benchmarks as the community comes together in support of student success.

We're happy to share photos from the national Accelerate ED convening where local educators continued work on a model for students to more easily access college credit toward in demand career fields! Background: In 2022-2023, Learn to Earn Dayton engaged in 12 months of deep collaboration with school districts, local colleges, government agencies, neighborhood nonprofits, and families as part of "Accelerate ED," to help smooth pathways for students to earn college degrees. As that program came to an end, we were thrilled when Learn to Earn Dayton learned we would be the beneficiary of a two-year commitment to put that plan into action for the benefit of Ohio's students. Dayton/Ohio is one of only three programs from across the nation (joining Illinois and Massachusetts) to launch this effort through the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Our program leverages Career Navigators, critical team members at the schools who help to inform, engage, and support students in considering future careers and taking thoughtful and strategic steps toward goals. The PACCE program provides the framework, resources, and support to empower these team members to reach a wide range of students who may not otherwise consider themselves on the path to college. The program is being rolled out in Kettering, with evolving partnerships in urban, rural, and additional suburban schools. On December 1, Accelerate ED community members from across the nation gathered in Boston, MA to share insights and drive toward greater outcomes. The Ohio Team presented how we leverage technology and engaging workforce experiences to ensure that students as young as middle school are educated about career opportunities and they are able to consider how their interests and aptitudes may translate to satisfying and well-paid work. THANK YOU for the leadership of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in sponsoring this critical work, the technical assistance provided by Delivery Associates and Education Strategy Group, and all of the Ohio team members who were able to join from Kettering City Schools, Dayton Public Schools, Sinclair Community College, Montgomery County Educational Service Center, Learn to Earn Dayton, and Know I Can (Columbus).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2022 The Northwest Dayton Partnership, with the help of community review panelists, name 28 organizations to receive a total of $1.45 million in funding. The Northwest Dayton Partnership (NWDP) brings together public and private sector organizations and community members to dramatically improve quality of life at a population level and reduce racial disparities. NWDP aligns opportunities, bolsters the infrastructure critical for the community's success and equips families to pursue their goals and thrive. NWDP’s boundaries are from Wolf Creek east to Main Street, and from Interstate 75 north to the city limit. The Northwest Dayton Partnership Steering Committee, comprised of individuals who all live or work in Northwest Dayton, guides the work. The Northwest Dayton Partnership Steering Committee, with support from Learn to Earn Dayton, launched a grant opportunity in January 2022 which sought to invest up to $1.45 million in community-based organizations’ work to improve outcomes in education, community well-being, racial equity, and economic mobility for Northwest Dayton’s children and families. A Community Review Panel, comprised of Northwest Dayton community members, was formed, and tasked with reviewing proposals to find those which best met the intent of the grant opportunity and the seven selection criteria. There were 70 eligible proposals submitted with a total request of nearly $7.75 million. Because the interest far exceeded the funds available for distribution, the Community Review Panel carefully considered each proposal for organizational mission and history of work in northwest Dayton, strong connection between proposal and community needs, organizational experience and strengths, outcome measurements, community partnerships, opportunity for financial growth and stability, diversity of population served and organization representatives. Based on community review and selection criteria, the NWDP Steering Committee chose 28 proposals for funding, totaling $1.45 million in investment. Their recommendation was presented to the Learn to Earn Board of Directors for final authorization. A list of the organizations receiving investment can be found below. Consistent with Learn to Earn Dayton’s commitment to support capacity-building for individuals and organizations serving northwest Dayton, they will host a series of technical assistance workshops in the coming year focused on establishing measurable outcomes, evaluation and metrics systems, and continuous improvement processes. These workshops will be open to all applicants for this grant opportunity. The NWDP Steering Committee and Learn to Earn Dayton thank the northwest Dayton community members who served on the Community Review Panel. Organizations receiving funding in the first round include: Black Brothers Black Sisters Involvement Inc Daybreak Dayton Habitat for Humanity Dayton Performing Arts Alliance Dayton Society of Natural History/Boonshoft Museum Dayton Urban Young Life Five Rivers Health Center Hatch Architects Design Center House of Bread Learning Tree Farm Little Hearts Schoolhouse Early Learning Center Miami Valley Leadership Foundation Miami Valley Meals Inc Miami Valley Urban League MVCDC Inc Parity Inc Rebuilding Together Dayton Inc Shoes for the Shoeless Single Parents Rock The Conscious Connect Redevelopment Corporation The Foodbank The National Conference for Community and Justice of Greater Dayton The Risen Empowerment Resource Center Inc Today's Babies Tomorrow's Future TRIBE Unified Power Valens Solutions Inc YMCA About Learn to Earn Dayton Learn to Earn Dayton fosters the success of all Montgomery County children from birth until they graduate from college or earn a high-quality credential. Our big goal is for 60 percent of Montgomery County's working-age adults to have a 2-year or 4-year college degree or a high-quality credential.

The Campaign for Grade Level Reading (CGLR) announced their 2023 Pacesetter Honors on November 14, 2023, recognizing exemplary efforts to support early grade reading proficiency. The Dayton/Montgomery County Team was designated a national Pacesetter for its efforts across the cradle-to-career continuum. Specifically highlighted were: Preschool Promise’s use of LENA technology to help educators develop early literacy skills, language and vocabulary in young children; Learn to Earn Dayton’s Mighty Classroom model focusing on family engagement, student attendance, and high-dosage tutoring to raise reading proficiency; and The collaboration between Learn to Earn Dayton and Dayton6th to launch the county-wide Every Day in School Matters attendance campaign, to combat chronic absenteeism. “Working in partnership with local educators, school administrators, nonprofit partners, businesses, and policy makers, Preschool Promise and Learn to Earn Dayton have developed innovative approaches that provide children and families with tools that bolster early literacy” said Stacy Schweikhart, CEO of Learn to Earn Dayton. “Our deep partnerships are essential to achieving student success;it’s heartening that the spirit of collaboration that is so core to our mission is recognized with this Pacesetter Honor from CGLR.” CGLR focuses on promoting early school success as an important building block of more hopeful futures for children in economically challenged families and communities. The theme of the competition this year was "Moving the Needle in Impact Areas," and the judges considered programs that ensure that few children start school so far behind, end chronic absence, and equip parents to succeed as the child's first teacher, among other categories. CGLR focuses on promoting early school success as an important building block of more hopeful futures for children in economically challenged families and communities. “It indeed is time to move the needle in impact areas and these Pacesetter Communities demonstrate how mobilized communities are succeeding,” said Ralph Smith, managing director of CGLR. “Let us all learn and grow from recognizing and understanding what they’ve accomplished. We applaud the civic leaders and local funders whose time, talent, energy and imagination have fueled progress in these Pacesetter Communities.” Statewide educational achievement scores were recently released. Learn to Earn Dayton, serving as a hub for educational data, found that while there is still significant work to be done in reaching regional third grade reading proficiency scores, Montgomery County scored slightly higher than the State overall. This is a testament to the civic infrastructure that had been developed to be responsive to the disruptions created by COVID and a commitment to welcome all partners to the table for the benefit of students. Schweikhart continued, “As this designation shows, our efforts have resulted in progress, and we need to continue to mobilize our community by working with our schools, businesses, nonprofits, civic leaders and parents.” In Montgomery County, the local GLR campaign is coordinated by Learn to Earn Dayton and includes dozens of partners driving toward stronger educational outcomes for our young learners. The Campaign for Grade Level Reading will be incorporating details of award winning practices into a “Playbook” to be shared nationally, and the team will be featured as part of the upcoming Crucible of Practice conversation series. "Our efforts have resulted in progress, and we need to continue to mobilize our community by working with our schools, businesses, nonprofits, civic leaders and parents." -Stacy Schweikhart

On Tuesday, November 14, Learn to Earn Dayton's Summer + Afterschool Collaborative hosted it quarterly meeting. This is an opportunity for both formal and informal out-of-school time program providers to learn about professional development, trainings, student resources, data updates, and more. Highlights of this meeting included the release of the SASC 2020-2023 Progress Report, an update from the Ohio Afterschool Network, and an engaging conversation with Dr. David Lawrence (Interim Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools). The work itself is a worthwhile reason to gather, but the team knows how to celebrate milestones, as well. As part of this meeting, two baby showers were celebrated: for new grandma and family engagement coordinator Erika and for data analyst and first time father, Phil. The SASC is an opportunity for out-of-school time educational partners to learn and grow together, while staying abreast of important issues and working together to advocate for local, state, and federal policies that support student achievement. Visit the SASC homepage or reach out to Wes Biles to learn more.

On Wednesday, November 15, members of Learn to Earn Dayton's Early Grade Literacy Collaborative hosted a Harvest Party at Trotwood-Madison Early Learning Center, as part of the team's engagement with students in the Mighty Classroom program. Students (kindergarten through second grade), with their caregivers and siblings enjoyed a full evening of dinner, crafts, and learning activities. The centerpiece of the event was the presentation of "Reading is Lit" boxes. These boxes, developed with support of educators and produced by Learn to Earn Dayton and ThinkTV PBS, include a book, multiple hands-on activities, craft supplies, and easy access to digital resources -- all age-appropriate and curriculum-aligned, specifically created to encourage at-home learning for the full family. Special aspects of the night included: Lisa Sensale Yazdian, from PBS, read the featured book (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom) aloud and demonstrated the ease and fun of activities for all families present. RTA visited with the special November bus, allowing families and students to meet the driver and explore the bus. Dr. Connie Bowman attended with University of Dayton students. The education majors have been serving as tutors throughout the fall in support of the student success. As part of the evening, the college students led craft activities and served the families pizza. In addition to the Reading is Lit box distribution, every child received stickers, sunglasses, bookmarks, and special reminders that Every Day in School Matters. (Note: Our Reading is Lit mascot, Blaze, wears the same sunglasses!) Thank you to the administrators, teachers, and staff from Trotwood-Madison City Schools who work so closely with Learn to Earn Dayton in the development and implementation of the Mighty Rams classrooms.

Friends and colleagues gathered on Friday, November 10, as the local Dayton community had the opportunity to celebrate a national recognition recently awarded to Learn to Earn Dayton's founding director Dr. Thomas J. Lasley, II. In September, StriveTogether recognized Tom with the Bill Henningsgaard Cradle to Career Champion Award at its national convening in San Francisco. The local event was an opportunity those from Montgomery County to add our congratulations and thanks for all of Tom's efforts in shaping educational policy and supporting student outcomes for the region. The celebration was hosted in advance of Learn to Earn Dayton's quarterly board meeting. In advance of the event, many friends sent along words of congratulations. They were compiled and shared here. The morning included: a welcome from CEO Stacy Schweikhart; words of recognition from elected officials, a reflection on Tom's legacy from President of The Dayton Foundation, Mike Parks; the formal award ceremony, with StriveTogether CEO Jennifer Blatz and Chief Advancement Officer Colin Groth; comments from Tom, including kind words for friends, family, and colleagues, and a few stories from the field; closing remarks from L2ED Board President Kippy Ungerleider; and a well-deserved standing ovation for our guest of honor. Thank you to StriveTogether for sponsoring the event and The Dayton Foundation for hosting. As was mentioned during the event, there is no room large enough to hold all the students, families, and colleagues who have benefitted from Tom's leadership and commitment to education. In lieu of that -- we were so pleased for our opportunity for a modest gathering to say congratulations and thanks to Dr. Thomas J. Lasley, II.

Learn to Earn Dayton is pleased to announce that we have been selected to participate in the Mobility Action Learning Network, a national technical assistance program administered by the Urban Institute for advancing locally driven programs, policies, and actions that boost upward mobility from poverty and racial equity. The team's application focused on the region's deep commitment to collaboration and experience with place-based, two-generation approaches to support educational outcomes. Learn to Earn Dayton CEO Stacy Wall Schweikhart said, "We are incredibly honored to have been selected by the Urban Institute to participate in the Mobility Action Learning Network. It's important to share that the application did not feature the work of Learn to Earn Dayton alone -- rather, it was a true collaboration with the City, County, University of Dayton Fitz Center for Leadership in Community, and many of our two-gen collaborative members, who all work together to drive outcomes that break the cycle of intergenerational poverty." The network is developed to equip mobility action teams across the country with data, promising practices, and opportunities to learn from each other to address local challenges related to upward mobility and racial equity work. The work gets underway in November and will continue for 12 months, including virtual workshops, peer-learning opportunities, and advisory support calls with Urban Institute experts. Schweikhart shared, "The team is excited to actively participate in the learning through the Network, as we work to increase economic mobility for all in Montgomery County."