Reporters with the Higher Education Channel interviewed a number of the Tomorrow Builders earlier this month to learn more about their efforts to reimagine and redesign our region’s early childhood education system to be more equitable. We're looking forward to seeing what the reporters create!

In my day-to-day work with families, I see the impact that access to quality early childhood education can have in their lives. If families feel safe leaving their children in a center, their children can learn and get ready to enter kindergarten. They know their name, their letters and their numbers. They’re ready socially and emotionally.

But also, I’ve worked with families on individual goals and taught classes that have changed their lives. For instance, I worked with a parent who was homeless when the child was enrolled, and within a couple of years they were able to buy a home. Access to a high quality early childhood education can mean really huge outcomes for families.

When the chance to become a Tomorrow Builders fellow came around, I knew it was an opportunity for me to use my voice to create more opportunities for families—beyond the limited number we can serve at one center. Expanding quality access is imperative.