Milwaukee Succeeds Leads Two Sessions at National Convening

From September 21-23, Milwaukee Succeeds attended the national StriveTogether Cradle to Career Convening in Chicago alongside over 500 other network members from across the country. Not only did staff learn and explore new ways of connecting with the community and accelerating change, but they also presented two sessions showcasing their recent work and achievements.  

Danae Davis, Milwaukee Succeeds’ Executive Director and StriveTogether Board Chair, kicked off the convening with a rousing speech during the opening reception. Danae explored this year’s theme – What Unites Us: Their Future. Our Work – and explained the importance of coming together to learn and grow.

“After years of being separated physically,” she said to a crowd of hundreds, “we’ve gathered here with a specific purpose. And that purpose transcends ideologies and geography. That purpose grounds our work. Each of us is here because we firmly believe that a child’s potential should not be dictated by their race, ethnicity, zip code, or circumstance.”

Over the following two days, participants attended over 80 sessions in addition to learning from nationally renowned speakers such as Liz Dozier from Chicago Beyond, Robert P. George from Princeton, Cornel West from Harvard, Eric Liu from Citizen University, and best-selling author Clint Smith.

Milwaukee Succeeds’ two workshops, which drew over 75 participants, delved into our recent data and advocacy efforts surrounding Child Care Counts, as well as our in-depth work researching and designing a long-term operational model.

Daria Hall, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Director, and Kristin Kappelman, Director of Research, led an informative session designed to give participants an insight into our recent report, Making Every Dollar Count. The report, which features responses from hundreds of child care providers across Milwaukee, provided a unique look into the impact of federal funding on the ECE industry, as well as bolstering advocacy efforts for additional resources.

During their 50-minute presentation, Daria and Kristin provided background on the funding, gave an overview of their data collection process, and shared how research like this can be successfully disseminated to produce results. They also looked to the future, explaining how such information can help partners unite over a unified goal and combine their voices to create change.

Dave Celata, Deputy Director, presented to a packed room sharing the insights he’s gleaned from the process of designing the ideal long-term operating model for Milwaukee Succeeds. Throughout the year, a project team has been exploring what type of infrastructure, policies and procedures would best help Milwaukee Succeeds do the work of improving education in Milwaukee. They took into consideration governance, legal, financial and staffing considerations before ultimately deciding to continue operating as an optimized embedded initiative within the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

Dave shared the essential questions which partnerships must answer in order to successfully design their own models, as well as other criteria they must take into consideration, such as risks, costs and feasibility. He also provided an overview of the ongoing development of a roadmap to optimization, which will deepen and expand our ability to transform systems and deliver equitable results.

These sessions, together with those presented by fellow partnerships, provided an opportunity for shared learning and collaborative problem-solving, offering unique insights and solutions that can be applied in communities across the country.

As StriveTogether stated in their explanation of this year’s theme, “We stand together, committed to breaking down structural and racial inequities to change systems and improve outcomes for kids… Together, we work toward a limitless future. Their future.”

About StriveTogether

StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of more than 14 million youth — including more than 8 million children of color and 6 million children living in poverty — across 30 states and Washington, D.C.

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