montgomery moving forward 2020 virtual symposium

Our 2020 Symposium continued to advance our cross-sector conversation about Early Care and Education (ECE).

The Symposium was held virtually during three 90-minute sessions. Click on the toggles for more details about each session. For more resources and background, visit the MMF ECE page.

THEME: Early Care and Education in the time of COVID-19: What investment is necessary to support the workforce of today and develop the workforce of tomorrow?

Please visit the 2020 Symposium DAY 1 web page for complete details about speakers and panelists, session resources, and more.

NOV. 5 AGENDA

Our featured speaker for Day 1 of the Symposium was Dr. Ron Ferguson, founder of The Basics.

Dr. Ferguson is an economist whose focus on education and youth development has had a tremendous impact on the way institutions, communities, and families interact with children. He has made a career of intentional change through his work as an author, director of The Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University, co-founder of Tripod Education Partners, educator at the Harvard Kennedy School for more than 30 years, and now, as founder of The Basics.

On Day 1, we also heard from county and state elected officials about their current commitment and future leadership in the area of ECE. This session also featured a panel discussion entitled “3rd Grade Starts at Birth.” See the Day 1 web page for more details!

THEME: There’s no ‘I’ in ECE: What role do partnerships play?

Please visit the 2020 Symposium DAY 2 web page for complete details about speakers and panelists, session resources, and more.

NOV. 12 AGENDA

This Symposium session featured leaders across sectors in the county – including business, government, philanthropy, and nonprofits – sharing how they are working together to improve ECE. We also shared the ECE Tooklit for Employers, a new web-based resource for employers and parents in Montgomery County. See the Day 2 web page for more information!

THEME: Systems change: How do we move forward together?

NOV. 19 AGENDA

Please visit the 2020 Symposium DAY 3 web page for complete details about speakers and panelists, session resources, and more.

During the final Symposium session, we heard from Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College, and leaders from across the county and country with lessons learned and strategies for moving towards ECE systems change.

This day of the Symposium featured two panel discussions: “Ready, Set, Go: Bringing The Basics to Montgomery County” and “Moving Us From Here to There: ECE Public-Private Coordinating Entity.”

Visit the Day 3 page to view a video of the session and learn more about our panelists.

For more resources and background, visit the MMF ECE page.

Special thanks to our Symposium sponsors!