Governor Beshear creates Early Childhood Advisory Council

Terry Tolan, UWKY President, named Executive Director

The Office of the Governor released the following announcement earlier today:

Continuing his commitment to improving education and health services for Kentucky's youngest citizens and with an eye on the state's future success, Gov. Steve Beshear today signed an executive order creating the Early Childhood Advisory Council.

The council will work to unite stakeholders behind common strategies, standards and goals for Kentucky's early childhood system and advocate for improved quality of early childhood services and improved school readiness. The Governor appointed Terry Sims Tolan, former president and CEO of the United Way of Kentucky, as the council's executive director.

"By establishing the Early Childhood Advisory Council, Kentucky now has an opportunity to move closer to a seamless delivery system of early childhood services," said Gov. Beshear. "I am very pleased that Terry has agreed to this new role and am confident that her expertise will contribute to the council's success."

Tolan takes her position with the Commonwealth after serving 15 years with the United Way of Kentucky. Over the years, she has worked with numerous child advocates and state agencies to improve the lives of children. She was first appointed to the Early Childhood Development Authority (ECDA) by Gov. Paul Patton in 2000 after serving as chair for the Prenatal Work Group of the Task Force on Early Childhood in 1999. She was reappointed to the ECDA by Gov. Ernie Fletcher and again by Gov. Beshear in 2008. Tolan most recently served on the Governor's Task Force on Early Childhood Development and Education established by Gov. Beshear in 2009 to study the Commonwealth's system of early childhood services.

"I am honored and pleased to have this opportunity to work on behalf of the Commonwealth's children," Tolan said. "With the Early Childhood Advisory Council members, we will work to make sure that every Kentucky child comes to kindergarten healthy, eager and ready to succeed in school."

The 26-member bipartisan council will assess and advocate for the needs of Kentucky's early childhood system, promote accountability of programs in early childhood and provide research and guidance on issues that affect Kentucky's children and families.

Gov. Beshear appointed Rick Hulefeld, founder and executive director of Children Inc. in Covington, to serve as chair. The first task of the council will be to assist in Kentucky's application for the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. The federal funds will reward states that create comprehensive plans to transform early learning systems with better coordination, clearer learning standards and meaningful workforce development. The program is designed to help states provide access to high-quality early learning and development programs to more low-income children from birth to age 5. Kentucky is eligible for up to $60 million in funding from this grant opportunity.

For a complete list of Council members or to read the full article, click here.  

How to Craft a Social Media Policy for Non-Profits    

Drawn from the Chronicle of Philanthropy Online, July 7, 2011

While more and more nonprofits are using social-media tools like Facebook and Twitter to publicize their mission and work, as well as to raise money, many organizations have not established policies or crafted basic guidelines for how employees should use social media.

As a result, some nonprofit employees have made embarrassing mistakes or created uncomfortable situations for themselves or their employers. What can nonprofits do to avoid such pitfalls? What should nonprofit leaders know about establishing policies or guidelines to govern how employees use social-media tools?

On Tuesday, July 26, at noon U.S. Eastern time, the Chronicle of Philanthropy will host  for a live online discussion with social-media managers at two of the nation's biggest charities, the American Red Cross and the National Wildlife Federation.  Click here to register.

The Kentucky Employees Charitable Campaign Kicks Off on July 19!

 

The annual Kentucky Employees Charitable Campaign kicks off next Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History!  Local United Ways are welcome to help spread the word about KECC and United Way's work across the Commonwealth to the largest gathering of state employees during the campaign season! 

State employees will enjoy great food, ice cream, big prize giveaways (including overnight state park packages!), and free History Center tours of the "Kentucky Experience"!  Musical guests Carla Gover and the Downtown County Band will be performing and local media celebrities Jack Pattie (Morning Newstalk Radio, WVLK-590, Lexington) and Cindi Sullivan (Garden Talk, WAVE-3 TV, Louisville) will be speaking.

For more information, visit kecc.org/kickoff.html!