ECE Ambassadors Attend COA Safe Summer Kick-Off
Each summer, COA Youth and Family Centers brings together over 500 neighbors during their Safe Summer Kickoff event. This year's celebration was held at COA Goldin on June 16 and was all about healing, recreation and safety in the Amani Neighborhood. Milwaukee Succeeds' Early Childhood Education (ECE) Ambassadors used the opportunity to connect with local families and provide valuable information on Wisconsin Shares, the ECE workforce and the power of organizing around ECE.
Milwaukee Succeeds was one of many organizations to join the neighborhood celebration. Others included 4C for Children, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Police Department and Public Library, the Milwaukee Rep and many more. The event also featured plenty of family-focused activities like a giant bounce house, arts and crafts, a splash area, live music and a visit from Bango the Buck. Attendees were even awarded with a special guest appearance from Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
This is only the latest in the Ambassadors' busy schedule of spring and summer activities. They also hosted a booth at the Milwaukee Juneteenth event, attended the Birth to 3 Celebration at the Milwaukee County Zoo, raised their voices in support of ECE at a Joint Finance Committee listening session and participated in an ECE parade in honor of Week of the Young Child. Their goal is to raise awareness about Milwaukee Succeeds and the importance of ECE, as well as growing their list of ECE champions who are passionate about making lasting changes to the sector.
Throughout the rest of the summer, the Ambassadors will be partnering with COA Golding during weekly outreach events, where they plan to engage with COA families and staff to learn about their unique needs and design relevant programming. They'll also be participating in upcoming Pop-Up Neighborhood Resource events to build stronger relationships within the Amani neighborhood and continue building awareness of ECE services, supports and advocacy opportunities.
Behind the scenes, the Ambassadors are busy building an ECE engagement group, comprised of caregivers, parents, families and community members. The group will use their talents to advocate for change and investment for the ECE sector. They've also been meeting with community leaders 1-on-1 to identify those who are ready to join forces and help lead this changemaking campaign.
