After spending decades working in the public school system, Co. Pastor of Tabernacle of Grace Ministry Betty Dudley realized a need in her community and opened her Group Home child care, McDudley Care LLC. Betty takes great pride in serving children and families in her community of Columbia, and talks about the care and support
Linda Rallo, Vice President and Director of Policy, Aligned Last week, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry convened its annual Workforce 2030 conference. Ted Abernathy, the managing partner of Economic Leadership, addressed the packed room with a rather sobering outlook for Missouri’s labor market. He remarked that too few workers and record-low unemployment make
Cortaiga Collins is the founder and CEO of Good Shepherd Early Learning Center in St. Louis’ West End neighborhood and a new facility, Good Shepherd Early Learning Center West in Warrenton, MO. Cortaiga was led to ECE work and advocacy by her children first, and now owns two facilities and is preparing to begin construction
Courtney Leader is a mother of four in Springfield, who has learned firsthand the importance of having safe and high quality child care for her children. Read more about her story below and why she’s a passionate advocate for early care and education! Why did you become an advocate for early childhood education? While waiting
Last month on September 13 and 14, our Family Leadership Circle and Provider Leader Fellows met in Jefferson City to network, learn, and meet with their legislators. The Family Leadership Circle convenes 19 parents and caregivers, including foster and adoptive parents and kinship caregivers. Our 20 provider leaders are owners, directors and educators in child
Meet Anissa Parra-Grooms, Kansas City resident and loving mother of two and a half year old Elvira! She is a powerful advocate for ECE and tries to find any way she can use her story to advocate for her daughter and our children’s future. Read our Q&A with Anissa below. Why did you become an
“Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly” Micah 6:8 (paraphrased) is one of my favorite passages that has been a shining light in my life’s journey. I am humbled and honored to begin serving as the Advocacy Coordinator for Kids Win Missouri. My journey in advocacy is rooted in social work, as well as personal experiences that have
“ ‘When you know your why, your what becomes more clear and impactful.’ What’s your why?” This is my opening line when sharing with people about the importance of advocacy. In 2016 when I first journeyed into legislative advocacy, my “why” was my boys Jacob, Nathan and Paul, but specifically my middle son Nathan. Now, six years later,
I’ve been based in Kansas City since 2014 when I moved here to study Early Childhood Education at UMKC. In the program, I had the privilege of spending time in Kansas City Public School classrooms through practicums which gave me the opportunity to work alongside and learn from some incredibly talented and devoted educators. Before
The days leading up to March 22, I told my four-year-old daughter that we were going to take a trip to Jefferson City to the Missouri State Capitol, on a bus. “What’s there?” she asked. I did my best to explain the legislative process in a way that she could understand and I was excited
