News releases
Published by United Way
on 2/22/2012
Center received proclamations from City of Miami and Miami-Dade County for its accomplishments
Business and community leaders, national child advocates and United Way of Miami-Dade staff and volunteers gathered at the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education to celebrate its fifth year anniversary on Feb. 15. Over the last five years, the Center has worked with thousands of parents,...
educators and child care providers, countless community partners and dozens of institutions and organizations to raise the standards of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond.
The festivities took place in the Center’s playground, where United Way board chair Jayne Abess, Center committee co-chair Toni Randolph and United Way president and CEO Harve Mogul, welcomed guests, celebrated partnerships and revisited many of the Center’s accomplishments. Representatives for Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Mayor Tomas Regalado presented the Center with city and county proclamations, for its work to ensure that children have access to the highest quality early care and education.
“Let there be no doubt that what we started five years ago is making a difference in the way we care for and educate our children – here in our community and at the national level,” said Mogul. “Our work is far reaching; we are focused on changing the system by garnering the support from champions of early education to ensure that all children have the best possible start in school and in life.”
Guest speakers, including Bela Moté, of Educare Learning Network, praised the Center and its staff for their innovative work with adults and children, particularly for the successful dual language program, an asset that sets the Center apart from other prestigious Educare centers in the United States. Guests also heard from Claudia Uribe, a local preschool owner, who spoke of the invaluable professional development training she received at the Center, and from several parents whose families have been changed, because their children received care and inspiration from the staff of the Center’s Demonstration School.
As the morning came to a close, children from the School sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in four languages to emphasize the importance of dual language acquisition and diversity and blew out candles on three celebratory cakes.
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Published by United Way
on 2/1/2012
Only eight percent of all preschools and early childhood programs in the nation have earned this distinction
The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education Demonstration School, Educare of Miami-Dade, has earned accreditation from the
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – one of the nation’s leading...
organizations of early childhood professionals.
“Earning this mark of excellence from NAEYC is like winning an Oscar for our commitment to elevating the standards of early care and education,” Harve Mogul, president and CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade, said. “This accreditation further validates our vision that every child should have access to high quality early care and education, so they can have the best possible start in school and in life.”
In 2010, the School also received the (APPLE) Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment accreditation, awarded by the Florida Association for Child Care Management, another leading accrediting organization. The School is also a member of the Educare Learning Network, an exclusive network of high quality, high performing early education centers from around the country.
To earn NAEYC accreditation, the School went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the 10 NAEYC early childhood program standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. Then, NAEYC Assessors did an on-site visit to ensure that the program met all NAEYC standards. The School received accreditation for a five-year-period, and is subject to unannounced visits.
In the 25 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC – representing approximately
8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs.
“The NAEYC Accreditation system raises the bar for child care centers and other early childhood programs,” said Jerlean E. Daniel, Ph.D, executive director of NAEYC. “Having earned NAEYC Accreditation is a sign that the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education Demonstration School, Educare of Miami-Dade, is a leader in a national effort to invest in high-quality early childhood education.”
The NAEYC Accreditation system was created to set professional standards for early childhood education, and to help families identify high-quality preschools, child care centers and other early education programs. NAEYC is committed to utilizing the newest studies and analysis on positive child outcomes to ensure young children continue receiving the highest-quality care and education possible. For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit
www.naeyc.org/academy.
Published
on 1/25/2012
In their role as “primary teacher” homeless mothers help their children grow and learn in a safe environment
The Early Head Start Home-Based Program, launched in April 2010, is one of Head Start’s comprehensive program options designed to meet the needs of low-income pregnant women and families of infants and toddlers through home visits and group...
socializations.
After two years as a Head Start/Early Head Start provider, the United Way Center for Early Education received funding for eight home-based Early Head Start slots. Consistent with its innovative approach to education, the Center decided to allocate these dollars to serve a hard to reach, high-need population – Miami-Dade’s homeless.
The program, unique in its kind, filled the slots with eight families selected through a partnership with the Lotus House Women’s Shelter, a resource center and residential facility serving homeless women and infants in the heart of the historic African-American Overtown district.
Through the partnership between the Center and the Lotus House, 12 families have received an array of individualized services based on each family’s situation. The home-based program’s major goal is to support parents in their role as their child’s “primary teacher” in promoting their overall development and a safe environment in which to learn and grow. Both the parent and educator work collaboratively to develop a curriculum that will establish realistic goals for the infant or toddler each year and help him/her to transition to a Head Start Center-Based program.
The program is two-fold: weekly year-round 90-minute home visits support parents in educating and nurturing their children, as well as providing services to expecting mothers such as pre-natal care, post-partum depression and a variety of educational experiences; and bi-weekly group socialization to strengthen and support the parents. Home-based educators also provide additional support to families experiencing multiple stressors, including maternal depression, violence in the home, health complications or other family crises. Beyond emotional support offered by the program, participants receive assistance with basic resources as clothes, food, transportation, strollers, car seats, educational supplies, among others.
Published by United Way
on 1/19/2012
More than 300 guests gathered at Pinecrest Gardens on Jan 7, 2012, to celebrate the fifth year anniversary of the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education. Parents and children past and present joined the Center’s faculty and staff as they marked this important milestone.
“Seeing how the children greeted and played with each other validates all the work that takes place at the Center around...
building relationships,” said Gladys Montes, vice president, United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education. “We are so proud of the memories we help create, and are overjoyed that families shared their children’s success stories with us. What a great journey it has been!”
It was a fun-filled afternoon of art, music, storytelling, playing, sharing and laughs.
Children and parents had an opportunity to make and decorate wooden glider airplanes together with Miami Art Museum’s Art-2-GO program. They danced with Paula Luzzi, shared in a storytelling session with Carrie Sue Ayvar and MijByrman, got their faces painted and so much more…
About the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education
The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is an innovative learning, teaching, and training initiative dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond. The Center models proven best practices, and shares those practices with adult learners including parents, educators and child care providers. The Center also works with business leaders and lawmakers to raise the standards of early childhood education, and support sustainable and lasting change.
Click here to view photos of the event.