Strengthening Families Through Early Child Care & Education

Monday, April 14. 12:00pm-1:30pm. Olympic Room.

Description 

Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education is an exciting national initiative out of the Center for the Study of Social Policy. In partnership with the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds and parent leaders across the country, Strengthening Families capitalizes on the unique role and opportunities that early care and education settings have to reach large numbers of children – strengthening parents’ abilities to nurture social and emotional health and care for their children. Learn about these innovative models and key levers of change, to include building effective partnerships with parents, used to achieve these goals.

Presenter Bios

Robin Higa, National Alliance of Children's Trust & Prevention Funds

Robin Higa is the Parent Leader Consultant with the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds, a member of Washington’s Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education Leadership Team and a council member of Washington’s Department of Early Learning. Her board experience includes Thurston Community Network, Olympia Family Support Center and Family Support America. She has over 20 years of experience in facilitating effective partnerships with parents in with diverse cultures. She currently resides in Olympia, Washington, implementing Community Cafés and managing a multicultural bookstore.   

Teresa Rafael, Center for Social Policy

Teresa Rafael, MSW, has been Executive Director of the National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds since 2002. She has more than 30 years of professional experience in the family strengthening/child abuse prevention field, ranging from working for eight years with child protective services, foster care and adoption in her early career to extensive work in the private nonprofit sector. She previously served as executive director of two grassroots statewide organizations, as a regional vice president of a large statewide organization and as vice president of a national family strengthening organization. She led the development of numerous family support programs such as mutual support groups, Family Resource Centers and home visiting programs. She served as a consultant for several state and national organizations and has always sought to work in partnership with parents whose personal expertise in family strengthening strategies has provided lifelong learning for her. Her volunteer activities include serving on local and national boards of directors and helping to design and host two international gatherings of social change scientists from the US and the former Soviet Republic countries in the early 1990s. She is the proud parent of one daughter and has a grandson who just turned one-year old.

Joan Sharp, Council for Children & Families (formerly WCPCAN/Children's Trust)

For the past 6 years, Joan has served by gubernatorial appointment as the Executive Director of Council for Children & Families, formerly Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect/Children’s Trust of Washington. The Council for Children & Families is an office of the governor/state agency, promoting policies and public understanding that support the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and funding and supporting community-based organizations working to advance child safety and well-being through promising and evidence-based programs. The Strengthening Families Washington initiative was launched and is coordinated by the Council for Children & Families, which also leads the state Post Partum Depression awareness campaign, Speak Up when You’re Down. Previously, Joan served as director of the United Way of King County Success by 6 initiative and of a rural, early-childhood focused family support center. A former city council member, Joan currently serves on the King County Child & Family Commission. She holds a master’s degree in Non Profit Leadership from Seattle University.