Advisory Group Leadership Council

As part of its strategic objectives around community and partner engagement, Early Edge California has created an Advisory Group Leadership Council of lead participants from each established advisory group to provide opportunities for deeper collaboration and impact. Members of the Leadership Council will represent their advisory group, serving as a liaison between the group members and Early Edge. Activities include participating in planning meetings, and providing input on documents as requested.

Meet Our 2022 Leadership Council Ambassadors

Early Learning Educator Advisory Group

Early Edge California’s first advisory group, which started in fall 2018, is composed of family child care providers, teachers and assistants from child care centers, and teachers and paraeducators from California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start, Transitional Kindergarten, and Kindergarten. Participants are from across the state, representing programs in Los Angeles, Fresno, and the Bay Area. The Early Learning Advisory Group helps us connect policy to practice by reviewing and providing feedback on Early Edge’s advocacy and policy proposals and keeping us informed of emerging issues in the field. In-person meetings take place once every six months, in the fall and spring. During the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings are being held virtually. We hope to resume in-person meetings as soon as it is safe to do so.

Parent Advisory Group

Our Parent Advisory Group is comprised of parents from across the state and began in summer 2020. Groups are held virtually in both English and Spanish to allow our team to hear from a diverse group of parents. Members meet virtually several times annually to offer their feedback and perspective on the local and state policies that would most help young children and their families.

Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Advisory Group

Our FFN Advisory Group began in fall 2020. FFN providers care for the children of their family members, friends, and neighbors. FFN care is the most common form of child care, particularly for infants and toddlers. Many families prefer FFN care for the trust and personal relationship they have with the provider, in addition to offering care that is culturally and linguistically similar to the child’s family. Early Edge regularly connects with FFN providers to hear their opinions on how policymakers can serve this often-overlooked group of caregivers. FFN Advisory Group meetings are held virtually in both English and Spanish several times a year.

Local Educational Agencies Professional Learning Community (LEA PLC)

Early Edge California’s Local Educational Agencies Professional Learning Community (LEA PLC) is a community of practice, bringing together leaders from the largest school-based Early Learning and care programs in California. It was started in fall 2019 to create a much-needed space where practitioners can share their innovations and resources, as well as their challenges, in a continuous effort to improve services to the children and families who rely on them.

We are still recruiting for our Parent and FFN Advisory Groups with the hope of creating groups that match the linguistic, ethnic, and geographic background of all California. If you or someone you know is interested in joining, please contact [email protected].