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Submitted by Dr. Reva Cosby, Superintendent of Trotwood-Madison City Schools Published in the Dayton Daily News on April 27, 2023 ********************** Across the nation, and felt acutely in Montgomery County, schools struggle to “bounce back” from the pandemic. To address some of these persistent challenges, particularly attendance and literacy for our youngest learners, Trotwood-Madison partnered with Learn to Earn Dayton (L2ED). With a commitment to using approaches consistent with the science of reading, family engagement, and student enrichment, L2ED and Trotwood’s Early Learning Center created a demonstration classroom to provide insights on best practices. This classroom was titled the “Mighty Rams.” -- Read the full article at DaytonDailyNews.com

April 24-28, 2023 is National Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week At Learn to Earn Dayton, specifically through the Summer and Afterschool Collaborative (SASC), we work with some of the most innovative, talented, and professional educators in the industry. This week especially, we want to say THANK YOU to all of the afterschool professionals who support each and every young person they work with. We are all inspired by your commitment, patience, and dedication to students' growth and development, and your hard work has NOT gone unnoticed! L2ED thanks you for creating a safe and supportive environment where our children can learn, explore, and THRIVE!

Stacy Wall Schweikhart, CEO, and Dr. Thomas J. Lasley, Founder Published: Dayton Daily News on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 **************** For more than a decade, Learn to Earn Dayton has served as the leading cradle-to-career strategy organization in Montgomery County. When our region experienced a significant loss of employers and jobs amidst the 2008 economic downturn, community leaders came together to discuss how we could reverse the trend and strengthen our human capital. The solution was to form one organization, Learn to Earn Dayton, to lead the establishment of a shared vision, convening of stakeholders, collection and analysis of data, harnessing of community voice and implementation of best practices that lead to increased educational attainment. Early in our existence, we embraced the collective impact model championed by the StriveTogether national cradle-to-career network, measuring progress using a set of six key milestones along the education continuum. Annually, we publish data to track trends for each milestone so we can refine our strategies according to need. We work with partners to incubate programs and drive change in systems in ways that enable students to succeed. Much of our effort is behind the scenes, focused on providing the data, expertise, and policy recommendations to move these initiatives forward. Read the full letter at DaytonDailyNews.com

Submitted by: Jennifer Blatz, CEO and President of StriveTogether Published: Dayton Daily News on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 For far too long, proposed solutions for our communities’ greatest challenges have been focused on short-term approaches that were dependent on charity or decision-making by those with no lived experience. However, Learn to Earn Dayton has proven that the journey to move upstream for solving enduring problems is not only possible, but also effective. And it all begins with local leadership. This week, Learn to Earn Dayton received the systems transformation designation from StriveTogether – they’re the first community in the Midwest and third nationally to do so. What this means is that they have built local community connections that have helped make significant shifts in policies, practices, resources, and power structures to transform inequitable systems and produce equitable outcomes. In other words, youth and families in the area are on the pathway for being better off and it means that Dayton is setting the example nationally for the kind of work that is possible. Read the full letter in the Ideas & Voices of the Dayton Daily News. . See the announcement and view the video here!

Ohio recently announced expanded funding available students to participate in enriching our-of-school time programs. Through the Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) program, families can apply for $1000 to cover the cost of opportunities like music lessons, summer camps, tutoring or before- or afterschool educational experiences. Our kids lost so much during COVID -- a sense of normalcy, socialization opportunities, and academic momentum -- this funding is created to help families get their kids back on track through out-of-school enrichment. Visit the web site to learn how it works. Many of the Summer and Afterschool Collaborative (SASC) member sites are already participating, so families can be assured that there are high-quality learning experiences available right here in Montgomery County! Ohio ACE Website Dayton Daily News Article

Learn to Earn Dayton is pleased to join with Dayton Metro Library and Preschool Promise to host Mr. Kurt Russell -- the 2022 National Teacher of the Year -- on Tuesday, April 25 from 6-7 p.m., at the downtown library. A 25-year veteran of the classroom, Kurt Russell was first inspired to become a teacher in middle school, when he encountered his first Black male teacher. Now as 2022 National Teacher of the Year, he plans to advocate for classrooms to better reflect the students within them — from a curriculum that reflects their backgrounds and identities to a more diverse teaching profession. Kurt teaches history at Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio, where he was born and raised; his classes include African American history, which he has taught since the late 1990s, and Race, Gender and Oppression, a class he developed. He also serves as faculty advisor for the student-led Black Student Union, whose work has led to positive impacts for students across racial groups. In addition to his classroom and extracurricular duties, Kurt is the head coach for the school’s varsity basketball team. He sees basketball as an extension of the classroom, and a place where young people can learn about working together and how to handle both adversity and success. Kurt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and a minor in Black studies from the College of Wooster and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University. He continues to take courses in child development at Oakland City University. He was previously recognized as teacher of the year by the Oberlin Heritage Center and the Oberlin chapter of the NAACP, and as Lorain County Basketball Association Coach of the Year and the Northeast Ohio Coach of the Year. Kurt lives with his wife, Donna, in Oberlin. They are the parents of two adult sons, Kurt Junior (KJ) and Korey. Kurt enjoys reading non-fiction and traveling.

Join the Diversifying Recruitment Educators Association for Miami Valley (DREAM) professional learning community for the last of our six-part series this school year. As always, we will explore working with equitable and inclusive intent, but our "Deconstructing Language" session will focus on the nuances of communication and how language influences both individuals and groups. We will use Amanda Montell's book Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language to springboard our investigation into how we communicate with one another and how we might sometimes unintentionally use language that hurts rather than supports people. You don't want to miss the last opportunity of the school year to discuss how to deal with the things our students say and do. This session will be in person on April 20th at the MCESC 200 S. Keowee Street Dayton, OH 45402 from 4:30-6:00 pm. Dinner will be available. There will be a drawing for freebies again! Register Here!

April 11, 2023 kicks off the 6th annual Black Maternal Health Week 2022 (#BMHW23). Founded by BMMA, Black Maternal Health Week is a week of awareness, activism, and community-building aimed at amplifying the voices of Black Mamas, bringing visibility to Black-led maternal health initiatives, and centering the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements. Explore the toolkit BMMA has shared that highlights data regarding mortality, mental health, breastfeeding and more. BMHW is held annually in April during National Minority Health Month. BMHW23 is, above all, a week dedicated to educating and advocating for Black Mamas.

Join Learn to Earn Dayton and the Early Grade Literacy Collaborative on Thursday, May 4, at 5 p.m. for a presentation from Maya Payne Smart, author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six. Ms. Smart will equip audiences with evidence-based information and hands-on strategies designed to inform and inspire. The event is free, but registration is required due to limited space. https://AuthorVisit.eventbrite.com Educators who work with students birth through third grade, families and caregivers, and community organizations that serve youth will all benefit from the lively discussion and valuable information. A book signing will follow. Following the author event, the Early Grade Literacy Collaborative will kick off a book group as the community explores the themes introduced. (Note: the author visit is free and open to the public; books will be available for sale. Participation in the subsequent book discussion group is not required.)

Smart, Creative, Dreamer, Loved, Special, Brave, LIMITLESS These are the words that the students of the Trotwood-Madison Early Learning Center Mighty Rams classroom used to describe themselves in preparation for a special, artistic performance. The community is invited to cheer the students on as they take the stage of the Trotwood-Madison High School Auditorium on Thursday, April 27, from 6-7:30 p.m. The production has been an exciting partnership, based on the book The Me I Choose to Be, and created with the support of Dayton Live and poet Trinity Estelle. The Mighty Rams class is a special demonstration classroom, in partnership between Learn to Earn Dayton and Trotwood-Madison, to provide family engagement activities and reading supports that have been proven to significantly support student academic achievement.

Learn to Earn Dayton’s Summer and Afterschool Collaborative is celebrating Lights on Afterschool on October 20, 2022. Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event celebrating after school programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. Learn to Earn Dayton’s Summer and Afterschool Collaborative promotes youth development and success by working collaboratively with program providers to increase access to high-quality afterschool and summer programs. We believe these out-of-school time programs are critical assets for our community, crucial for the healthy development of young people, and essential to families. Learn to Earn Dayton helps program providers to monitor the progress of program participants’ in social-emotional learning, academic behavior and growth, attendance, family engagement, healthy lifestyles. The Summer and Afterschool Collaborative is committed to serving all students, particularly young people who lack access to enriching activities that help children grow up to be well-rounded and successful adults. Learn to Earn Dayton is grateful to the Montgomery County Commissioners for their recognition of the importance of afterschool programming in a resolution presented on October 18, 2022. "After-school programming is a critical resource for working parents that not only keeps their children safe but also prepares them to succeed in higher education and in the workforce," said Montgomery County Commission President Carolyn Rice. "We're happy to recognize its importance in preparing Montgomery County for the future." On October 20, 2022, Learn to Earn Dayton will join with Adventure Central and other Summer and Afterschool Collaborative members for Harvest Fest, an event to help celebrate Lights on Afterschool. Families are welcome to come to enjoy activities from 6:30-8:00 PM. At 7:30 PM, participants will gather and shine small flashlights up in the sky to signify the importance of afterschool programming. Event information: Harvest Fest - a celebration of Lights on Afterschool Thursday October 20, 2022 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM Adventure Central 2222 N James H McGee Blvd. Dayton, Ohio 45417

September 8, 2022 The Summer and Afterschool Collaborative (SASC) is a group of summer and afterschool providers focused on delivering quality out-of-school time programming for Montgomery County students. The SASC centers its focus on quality around five metric areas: attendance, academics, social and emotional learning, health and family engagement. The collaborative it made up of 21 partners including 13 afterschool program providers. Programs include 21st Century and grassroots summer and afterschool programs. The SASC supports over 1,000 students annually. Providers across Montgomery County include: Adventure Central Dakota Center Dayton Christian Center Dayton Children's Hospital Dayton Metro Library Dayton Scholars Dayton YMCA East End Fail Me Not Tutoring Fast Forward–Sinclair KIND Miami Valley Leadership Foundation Omega CDC On Purpose Academy/Tops Advantage Revival Center Ministries St. Margaret's STARS Program Think TV To learn more about the Summer and Afterschool Collaborative, contact mdorsey@learntoearndayton.org, or email sasc@learntoearndayton.org 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.