Scottdale Early Learning's Director Briefs Educators

Maryum Gibson (center), executive director of Scottdale Early Learning, recently attended a national early education briefing at Washington D.C.’s Bipartisan Center with (left) Shannon Christian, director of the Office of Child Care, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and (right) Dr. Deborah Bergeron, director of the office of Head Start, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Maryum Lewis Gibson, executive director of Scottdale Early Learning, Inc. (SEL) in DeKalb County, was recently invited to give a progress report to educators and Capitol Hill staff members on the positive impact the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership has had on the children and families served by Scottdale Early Learning. The program was hosted by the Bipartisan Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that brings together former elected and appointed officials from all political parties, business and labor leaders, academics and advocates to share ideas and work towards finding solutions to key issues in the areas of education, health, energy, national security, housing and more. While in DC, Gibson visited the Capitol and Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson’s office to brief staff members on how the Early Head Start-Child Care partnership has benefitted Scottdale Early Learning.

“Thanks to our partnership with Early Head Start, the Board, staff and volunteers at Scottdale Early Learning are able to focus on providing fully-funded care for low-income families, which has expanded our ability to offer affordable care to all families,” said Gibson. “This year, we have been able to enhance our facility and move a three-teacher model into our infant/toddler classrooms. It was very rewarding to share our success stories with policy makers and other educators while we were in Washington.”

The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) program, launched in 2014, is helping support child care programs that meet the Early Head Start performance standards but are designed to meet local needs and circumstances. EHS-CCP grantees partner with local center-based and family child care programs and leverage community resources to expand access to high-quality early care and learning for low-income infants and toddlers. The recent conference in Washington was hosted by EHS-CCP in collaboration with the Educare Learning Network (ELN) and First Five Years Fund, to showcase how EHS-CCP is positively impacting families and child care providers across the country.

About Scottdale Early Learning, Inc.

Founded in 1977 in DeKalb County’s historic Scottdale community, Scottdale Early Learning, Inc. (formerly Scottdale Child Development and Family Resource Center) is a 501(c)3 early care and educational organization serving low and moderate income families. Its mission is to provide early education that fosters the intellectual, creative, social, emotional, and physical development of its students age 6 weeks to 5 years old. SEL mitigates socioeconomic disadvantages through high-quality education, family involvement and community engagement, ensuring that all SEL students are ready for kindergarten. Scottdale is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals. For more information, visit www.scottdale.org.