Early care and education provide a strong foundation for children's academic success and overall well-being. This focus area has been central to the work of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute since its founding more than 50 years ago. And that is why we were especially pleased to host a group of participants from Building Bright Futures―a pilot early childhood education pre-apprenticeship-to-apprenticeship program within the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE)―for a morning of presentations and an open discussion.

NCBCE’s Building Bright Futures (BBF) understands that early childhood educators are vital to North Carolina's current and future workforce. As such, it is part of North Carolina’s efforts to build a career pipeline for North Carolinians looking to work in the early care and education field. The program’s mission is to ensure its educators are positioned for academic and career success―without risk of financial burden. According to the BBF website, program participants can receive year-round financial support for professional development, trainings, and wages, as well as access to a network of industry professionals and additional learning opportunities to advance knowledge in the field of early childhood education (ECE). And FPG was delighted to help BBF pilot one of those learning opportunities this summer.

During opening remarks welcoming BBF to FPG, Interim Director Brian Boyd, PhD, gave a brief overview of the Institute, "The work of FPG has been—and continues to be—dedicated to improving the quality of life for young children in every way, from developmental disabilities and early care and education to physical, social, and emotional health and racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity."

"I am glad you can see first-hand the breadth of our work here,” Boyd said, “and the impact we have on children and families, teachers and service providers, schools and programs, national, state, and local agencies, policymakers and program administrators." 

"I am glad you can see first-hand the breadth of our work here,” Boyd continued, “and the impact we have on children and families, teachers and service providers, schools and programs, national, state, and local agencies, policymakers and program administrators."   

Boyd hand-selected the event's presenters to not only illustrate what FPG has to offer in terms of various career trajectories but also to show the impact the Institute has had, and continues to have, on training and educating future generations of early care and education professionals.

FPG’s Ann Sam, PhD, kicked off the presentations with a discussion of her career path from inclusive preschool and kindergarten teacher to senior research scientist. Sam also discussed her autism related work, sharing examples of a variety of Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (AFIRM) products. Next, FPG Technical Assistance Specialist, Jani Kozlowski, MA, talked about early childhood inclusion and strategies to support state and local leaders, professional development providers, and early childhood educators. Koslowski highlighted the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) systems framework, indicators of high-quality inclusion as well as several other resources for ECE providers.

Alana Gilbert, MPH, now an implementation associate with FPG’s NC-Implementation Capacity for Triple P Project, first worked with FPG in 2021 as an implementation division summer intern. Gilbert gave an overview of implementation science, implementation practice and the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program, and explained how her project management, and media and networking work supports early childhood education.

“BBF attendees were thrilled to learn about what a fantastic resource FPG is and to get a better understanding of its breadth of work. They are excited to share what they learned with their own networks,” said Morgan Ford, Building Bright Futures’ Program Director. “And, just as importantly, they felt valued, heard, and respected as professionals. Being able to literally sit down at the table with your presenters was an incredible gift.”

From 2010 to 2013, Robert Carr, PhD, worked as a volunteer program coordinator at Head Start. Today, as a research scientist at FPG, Carr’s focus is on how early childhood education programs influence children’s development of academic and social-behavioral skills; focusing on state-funded pre-kindergarten and Head Start preschool programming. His presentation discussed child development and educational environments across preschool and school.

The fourth presenter, Nicole Telfer, PhD, discussed the postdoc projects she’s working on at the Institute. Telfer’s research focuses on ethnic-racial socialization practices, social determinants of health, the role of intersectionality, and finding ways to improve the educational experiences and developmental outcomes of racially minoritized children and adolescents. She spoke to the BBF program participants about her work on a project that is addressing equity gaps and challenges in the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, third edition (ECERS-3) as well as a new project considering ethnic-racial socialization practices among Black children with disabilities.

When asked about the speaker presentations and how this visit has enhanced her participation in the BBF program, attendee Yesenia Henriquez, from the Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, replied, "It's great to know that professionals are working together to create bright futures not only for the children but also for the teachers, who practice their profession with love and dedication ... I was delighted with the work they are doing. I like that [Building Bright Futures] will provide academic resources that can be of great help for my professional growth, it was a beautiful experience―knowing that there are many people who are working so that the education of our children is effective, professional, and, above all, that it is of quality."

After the conclusion of the presentations, everyone circled up for an engaging and thoughtful discussion of what the presenters shared and more. It was inspiring to hear from so many dedicated ECE professionals, and we look forward to partnering with Building Bright Futures again.

“BBF attendees were thrilled to learn about what a fantastic resource FPG is and to get a better understanding of its breadth of work. They are excited to share what they learned with their own networks,” said Morgan Ford, Building Bright Futures’ Program Director. “And, just as importantly, they felt valued, heard, and respected as professionals. Being able to literally sit down at the table with your presenters was an incredible gift.”

Visit the Building Bright Futures website to learn more about the program.