A high quality preschool education, from birth to age 5, should be available and accessible to every child in the United States of America. Please join us on Tuesday, October 31, 2017 from 11:30am to 1:00pm for lunch and an important presentation and dialogue.
We would like to get your input and feedback about two significant steps One City is taking to make high quality preschool available and accessible all children. First, we are planning a major community fundraising event for 2018 that we hope to draw 7,000 to 8,000 people to attend. One City will be the host and organizer, but we plan to dedicate funds generated from the event to support tuition scholarships and teacher training at other high quality preschools so that more children have access, and more children are better prepared for school success.
Second, we will also talk with you about our plans to establish a public charter school that would provide economically disadvantaged families greater access to high quality preschool, and potentially create a pathway to educational success for children beyond kindergarten.
These two initiatives will be central to our efforts to initiate an effective and impactful preschool movement in Dane County. It's one that we hope will positively impact children all across Wisconsin in the future, as well. We truly hope that you will join us.
Access to clean, drinkable water and healthy food. Climate change. Energy Alternatives. Urban and rural poverty. Economic and population health disparities. Innovations in STEM and Social Enterprise. Global and local leadership and political conflicts. World peace.
Children who can read, love to learn, can think and act critically and creatively, and can work effectively with others will be best prepared to address these issues, lead happy lives and raise happy and healthy families as adults. It is imperative that children develop the foundational knowledge, skills, passion and habits necessary to succeed and thrive in school and life, during their first five years of life.
One City is preparing to launch a movement that unifies the Greater Madison community around a commitment to providing affordable and high quality preschool for all children, from birth to age 5, and a community of support for their parents and families as well. We are also responding to parents interests in establishing other high quality school options for children.
Please RSVP for this luncheon by Friday, October 27, 2017 by clicking on the button "Register to Attend" above or below. If you have questions, please call or email Ms. Marilyn Ruffin, One City's Director of Community and Family Initiatives at (608) 268-8004 or mruffin@onecityearlylearning.org.
A hot lunch and refreshments will be served. We thank you in advance for your participation.
Putting our Children First.
Kaleem Caire is a nationally respected social innovator, community organizer and son of South Madison, Wisconsin who has successfully inspired, created and lead community transformation and education initiatives that continue to positively impact millions of children and adults worldwide. Most recently, he is the founder, President & CEO of One City Early Learning Centers, a preschool that in just two years, has gotten more than 1,000 members of Madison's village involved in investing in the promise and potential of its youngest children.
Kaleem is dedicated to mobilizing people in cities and towns, large and small, to work together to build strong children, families and communities with ultimate goals of eliminating legacies of disadvantage, inspiring harmony, cultivating a healthy sense of certainty and making people's lives better. His efforts have yielded billions of dollars in investment in human potential, racial equity, and education initiatives. His success has not been achieved alone. Thousands of people have been involved in inspiring and supporting Kaleem and his work, providing knowledge, training, coaching, guidance, time, effort, funding and patience, since he was a child. His current efforts are no different.
Buck Rhyme is the president of RR Consulting Group. His experience as a CEO and work with a national clientele has led to a diverse skill set. Buck’s expertise includes designing a systematic approach to developing of future leaders, executive coaching for new managers, strategic planning with measurable results, strength based organizational assessments, and mapping company cultures.
A skilled facilitator, Buck is frequently engaged to lead initiatives involving organizational change, including conflict resolution. He specializes in using data and engaging stakeholders to spur innovation and successfully implement organizational change. Buck has led several taskforces charged with creating new innovative business structures for public and private sector clients in both Wisconsin and Oregon.
Prior to becoming a consultant and business entrepreneur, Buck was the CEO at CAP Inc., a innovative, results focused non-profit. During his 17-year tenure. he pioneered strategic planning, employee engagement, and technology enhancements as key drivers to grow agency revenues by over 1200%. His unique approach led to recognition by Corporate Report Wisconsin as a Star Stream Leader.
Buck holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As an adjunct faculty member at UW Graduate School of Business Executive Education, Buck provided leadership coaching for nine years. He has also served as an Examiner for the Wisconsin Forward Award and volunteered on numerous non-profit boards.
Gary Allen Bennett serves as the Office of Educational Opportunity’s founding director. Gary is a public school graduate and a former public school teacher. He earned a Masters in Education while teaching second grade in one of the largest urban public school districts in the country. After teaching and serving in various school leadership roles, Gary earned a law degree to learn how the law can be used to increase educational equity for all students. Immediately prior to leading the Office of Educational Opportunity (OEO), Gary staffed key state legislative leaders from both the Democratic and Republican parties. In addition to leading OEO, he serves on various arts and social justice nonprofit boards.
A hot lunch will be served by One City's full-time chef, Joel Villarroel. You will eat a healthy lunch - the same type of lunch that One City's children, staff and volunteers eat every day. Lunch will be buffet style. Please arrive at 11:30am so you can get your food and get ready for our conversation.
One City is preparing to launch a movement that unifies the Greater Madison community around a commitment to providing affordable and high quality preschool for all children, from birth to age 5. The achievement and wellness gaps that adversely impact children of color and young people living in poverty are two areas where early education can have a very positive and transformational impact. We also want to ensure that every child has the foundation necessary to succeed in school and life before they reach grade school. Additionally, we think access to affordable, high quality early learning and innovative school options will help Dane County and Wisconsin attract and retain a skilled workforce, and grow businesses and the economy of our region. We look forward to sharing more with you.
One City is planning to host a major event at the Dane County Coliseum in September 2018 that will benefit preschools and children across Dane County, including One City. It's a very dynamic event - nothing that Madison, Wisconsin and Dane County has ever seen before. It will serve as a catalyst and funding mechanism for igniting a very positive preschool revolution in Dane County, and we hope, across Wisconsin. We have enlisted the involvement of Pigorsch Media, a nationally acclaimed event management company, and Frank Productions, the second largest manager of musical concerts in the United States, to assist us. As part of our plan to secure a major sponsor, we would like to solicit your input and feedback. We will share our plans, including why we are pursuing this strategy and the outcomes we intend to generate from this effort.
One City's Board of Directors is exploring the option of establishing its preschool as one of the nation's few public charter preschools. This means we would operate a full day program for 4 and 5 years to prepare them for success in 1st grade and beyond. The board is also discussing the possibility of adding grades 1 through 6 to ensure that the achievement gains continue for children in the elementary grades. We would use one of two unique models for early learning that have demonstrated success in providing children with a solid foundation for success in secondary schools, higher education. We will introduce you to our plan and solicit your input and feedback. Gary Allen Bennett, Director of the University of Wisconsin System Office of Educational Opportunity, will join us for a brief presentation of the UW System's new ability to charter public schools in Madison and statewide.
