Side by Side: A Playbook on Centering and Promoting Equity in Early Education
By Lindsey Allard Agnamba, Laura Hawkinson, Angelica Montoya Avila, Traci Borgh, Jennifer Caldwell, Gabrielle Montgomery, Leila Sammander, Nicole Sharpe, Ponny White
Overview
When we say “equity in the early childhood system,” what do we mean? In partnership with Vanguard Strong Start for Kids, this effort aimed to explore this question. By leading with voices of the early childhood community, the Side by Side Playbook was created as an accessible, interactive resource to provide community-informed solutions toward meaningful change within the current structures that govern and define the early childhood system.
Our Process
Listening and learning from the early childhood community was integral to the creation of the playbook process and content. With this approach in mind, SRC developed a storytelling process and framework to hear from 22 families and community voices across 6 states. These community members shared experiences of their hopes and dreams and successes and challenges when it comes to early childhood education and care for their children. We heard from family members, caregivers, community leaders, and other local and state systems leaders. Learn more about their experiences here.
To support and guide the conceptualization of the playbook and ensure the playbook was representative of the diversity of voices and perspectives of families and communities across the country, SRC convened an advisory table of 10 leaders across the early childhood field who served as key thought partners throughout the effort. SRC supported the recruitment, onboarding, and facilitation of advisory table engagements, gathering the advisory table around key milestones for input and feedback.
The Outcome
The culmination of experiences from families and communities resulted in an interactive playbook that shares not only the experiences of families and communities across the country, but also community informed solutions to creating more equitable policies and practices across the early childhood system. To support dissemination, SRC also created an accessible website to host the playbook, in addition a call to action reflection tool, resources for continued learning, as well as a social media toolkit to support dissemination across the early childhood field and beyond.
Related Work
SRC Contributors
Founder and CEO
Senior Director
Senior Associate
Nicole Sharpe
Senior Director
Leila Sammander
Managing Associate
