The Role of Higher Education in CGLR Communities

In this webinar, community representatives discussed the critical role universities and colleges play in their coalitions. The conversation started with Monica Chavez-Silva, Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning, and Melissa Strovers, Director of Collective Impact in the Office of Enhancement and Community Engagement, both at Grinnell College, who talked about why the college decided to take the lead role with the local CGLR initiative, Grinnell Education Partnership. They talked about how their coalition works and highlighted the metrics that show they are making measurable progress in fourth-grade literacy proficiency. Kathleen Knudsen, facilitator of Metro-Omaha Raise Me to Read, introduced some of the ways the University of Nebraska Omaha partners with their coalition, in particular an exciting Urban Landscapes initiative. Shelby Redondo, Family Child Care Coordinator with the United Way of Denton County, talked about their strategic partnerships with North Central Texas College, Texas Woman’s University and the University of North Texas around a range of child care provider initiatives. Finally, Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D., Credentialing Program Facilitator with Childcare Resources of Indian River, talked about their partnership with Indian River State College, which ensures high-quality, affordable and accessible teacher training programs are available to those in the early education field in Indian River County, Florida.