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Issue: #1                                                      March/2012     

The Early Learning Coalition of Orange County is happy to present the first edition of our e-newsletter. Through the content below we hope to foster on-going community engagement and action surrounding early care and education issues. We know that the most critical years of a child's life are from birth to age 5. During this time, children learn at a rapid rate and what they do or do not grasp, will have a lasting effect on their brains and development much further down the road.

 
These articles will inform you on issues related to healthy child development as well as inspire you to advocate on behalf of our youngest citizens.

There are numerous ways to help grow Central Florida into a region where the economy is booming, families are prosperous and children are well-prepared, and we know that you can start with one of our many programs.

April is national Child Abuse Prevention Month and we are planting pinwheels as a reminder of the happy childhoods and bright futures that all children deserve as well as the important role we all play in ensuring every child has an equal opportunity for healthy growth and development.

Prevent Child Abuse Florida and its Pinwheels for Prevention campaign is one of many ways our community can take an active role in preventing abuse and neglect before they happen. The campaign promotes healthy child development, positive parenting practices and community action.

Here in Orange County we are joining the national campaign again this year and would like for your business, school, church, civic group, law enforcement agency or media outlet to participate.

What do we want you to do?  Plant a pinwheel garden in a visible location on your property for customers to see. It will serve as a discussion item so that the community can be reminded of the need for child abuse and neglect prevention.

What will we provide? Your organization will receive 24 pinwheels and a laminated flyer that reads: Kids Are Our Business...Investing in healthy child development leads to a healthy economy. We support activities that provide children in our community with the healthy, safe and nurturing experiences they need for optimal growth and development.

If you would like pinwheels or want more information on how you can help with this campaign, please contact Shannette Prince at sprince@elcoc.org or 407-259-2464.

Additional ways to get involved 

Schools can include articles on healthy child development and ideas for positive parent-child interaction in newsletters or sponsor an essay or art contest with a child development or family-oriented theme based on the school curriculum.

Civic groups can set up pinwheel gardens and distribute campaign flyers, posters or information on community resources to libraries, grocery stores, banks, shopping centers and other high traffic areas throughout the community.

Law enforcement officials can provide neighborhood and online safety presentations for businesses, schools and religious or civic organizations.

Media outlets can provide their audiences with feature stories on community programs that are having a positive impact on children and families, report on the connection between healthy child development and healthy economic development and encourage businesses to adopt family-friendly business practices by reporting on the most family-friendly businesses in the community. 

Local politicians can issue a declaration or proclamation recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month or expressing their support for the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign.

Gala Honors College President 

Things are in full swing as we prepare for the second annual The First Five Years Gala benefiting the Early Learning Coalitions of Orange and Osceola counties. 

The event is scheduled for June 23 at the Disney's Epcot Theme Park - World ShowPlace at 6:00 p.m.  This year's honoree is Dr. Sandy Shugart, president of Valencia College.

Last year's gala raised $100,000 to support early care and education, and with your help we can once again reach our goal.

If you are interested in attending, sponsoring or just finding out more about the event, please visit the website at www.firstfiveyearsgala.org.

Women Who Mean  Business 

We would like to congratulate all women nominated for OBJ's 14th Annual Women Who Mean Business Award. Board members Linda Landman Gonzalez and Ilene Wilkins, as well as our CEO Karen Willis were all nominated for Business Executive of the Year.

Thanks for the Support

More than 150 people were in attendance at Focused on the First Five Years: Orange County's State of Early Care and Education breakfast panel sponsored by Disney, Nemours and Sir Speedy.