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Dear Friends, Every time I walk into The New E3 School or talk with directors and teachers of programs across the state, I am reminded of why I became an advocate for education.  Both of my boys attended high-quality early education programs and it set them up for success academically and socially.  They were fortunate […]

The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP): A Tool for Teachers in the Classroom Emily tells us all about how she uses the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program(VKRP) as a tool in the classroom.

The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP): A Tool for Teachers in the Classroom Listen to a teacher & co-director talk about how she uses the VKRP.

Legislators are considering many competing budget priorities right now.  Can you send your legislator a quick email asking for their support of Governor Northam’s early education budget package?  This funding is critical to fully restoring the $85m package from last year. TAKE ACTION! Click here to contact your legislator. How can you help? Tell your […]

Resources created with you, your classrooms and your students in mind. We begin the new year with appreciation for the people in our communities and hope for the future.  Within our communities, we are stronger because of our differences and care for one another. So, how can we guide children to celebrate individual differences and […]

First, some really good news.  The $85 million that we all fought so hard for has been fully restored and included in Governor Northam’s 2021 budget!  Thanks to the legislature during the   special session and the CARES Act federal relief funds for helping to secure this historic investment for our children. The havoc wreaked […]

Without stable, accessible and safe child care, Virginia will not be able to recover from the brutal economic outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.  That statement is stark but true. In the earliest days of the virus, Gov. Ralph Northam deemed child care providers as “essential,” recognizing their critical role as safe havens for children of […]

E3: Elevate Early Education launched the Early Learning Now campaign to fight for equitable access to high quality programs for all children and families.  Our early educators and early learning programs must have consistent and stable funding.  Governor Northam announced the details of his early education budget priorities this week: Equitable Access Recruit & retain […]

Access Matters. Teachers Matter. QUALITY Matters.   Access alone is not enough. Research tells us that children need and deserve access to high quality early learning programs. Higher quality programs have the greatest impact & strongest outcomes for ALL children. Investing public dollars in quality will provide academic, economic & social gains NOW & in the future. […]

A 2019 national poll released by the Bipartisan Policy Center tells us: Affordable & reliable child care is a “must have” for working families. Low-income parents struggle to find affordable programs. Mothers who want to remain in the workforce are impacted the most by the shortage of child care options. 2/3 of parents say child […]

One of our teachers @ The New E3 School shares the challenges of COVID in the early learning classroom.

Listen to a parent talk about how the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) is a tool for her at home in helping her child be ready for K!

Almost six years ago, we opened the doors of The New E3 School, a state-of-the-art mixed-income model for children ages one to five in the neighborhood of Park Place in Norfolk. We set out to accomplish several goals: Develop a model school for the state that was a hybrid of national best practices. Create a […]

Dear Advocates: The House & Senate have passed their budgets. Here is the breakdown: House $60m in federal COVID relief funds allocated to increase access and help child care programs recover from the health crisis. $3m to recruit & retain early educators to remain in the classroom & improve quality for children. $85m in unallotted […]

Dear Early Education Advocates: The Special Session to address the budget deficit caused by the COVID-19 health crisis is underway.  Unfortunately, only $3.7m in new funding is for early educators. Research consistently shows that investing in early learning benefits ALL children, families and society.  Yet, it is always the first to be cut. Early learning […]