Milwaukee Succeeds Launches ECE Ambassadorship

The ECE Ambassadorship officially launched on February 4, 2023, with a gathering at Motor Bar and Restaurant in Milwaukee.

ECE Ambassadors and their children enjoyed food, fun and conversation.

The launch event was attended by both ambassadors and Milwaukee Succeeds staff.

Ambassadors discussed their own struggles with early childhood education in Milwaukee, particularly mentioning the systems that aren’t working for families.

As the first in-person gathering for ECE ambassadors, the February 4 get-together was an excellent opportunity to build relationships and connect on an informal level.

Motor Bar and Restaurant provided the perfect backdrop for ambassadors and their kids to eat, chat and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

For Milwaukee Succeeds, community is at the center of what we do. We’ve made a commitment to integrating a variety of voices into our work and letting them lead us forward. At the beginning of February, we took another step toward growing our community network as we officially launched our Early Childhood Education (ECE) Ambassadorship.

“Last year, Milwaukee Succeeds decided to invest in our community engagement capacity,” says Catina Harwell-Young, director of engagement and culture. “We’ve been fortunate enough to expand our team, and they’ve been working hard to figure out how to build a group of youth and families ready to advocate for our priorities.”

Building on the success and lessons learned from our 3-year-old Youth Forward MKE ambassadorship, we’ve created an intentional space to engage with Milwaukee parents, co-design strategies and support advocacy work to bolster the ECE sector. So far, 19 parents have joined the inaugural cohort of paid ambassadors, bringing diverse backgrounds and experiences to the table.

Of the 19 women in the program, all have firsthand experience with the city’s child care sector. In fact, 79% have navigated the field as both parents and ECE employees, with 32% ultimately forced to leave the industry. In addition, 42% of the ambassadors have reported that, like many parents across the city, they cannot afford ECE for their own children.

“These ambassadors are well informed and aware of the current challenges and barriers,” says Anna Smerchek, Milwaukee Succeeds’ community engagement fellow. “They’re also aware of the systems in place that do not work for families.”

The current cohort of ambassadors also reflects the diversity of the city’s ECE sector in general, with 47% identifying as African American, 27% Latinx, 21% Caucasian, 5% biracial, and 1 Native American.

Over the next year, these dedicated individuals will spend time learning about the ECE sector both locally and nationally, as well building and refining their advocacy skills. They’ll also be involved in co-designing strategies to help Milwaukee Succeeds engage with more families, particularly as part of the organization’s upcoming strategic planning process.

The ambassadors’ work will involve regular engagement with the Milwaukee ECE Coalition and their workgroups as they strive to advocate with one voice, especially when it comes to securing ECE funding as part of the 2023-25 budget cycle. In a bid to engage more providers and families in the work, the ambassadors will also attend meetings and events across the community, bolstering the network and strengthening our combined calls for change.

“Our ambassadors are powerful in numbers and have strong connections,” says Anna. “What inspires me most is the grit that they have to not only be part of the change, but to be the change.”