Great Expectations – Cradle to Career

Thanks to my amazing clients and their support, it was an honor sponsoring the Caring for Kids Breakfast. This was my first year involved, and it was an event to support the Great Expectations campaign. This is an amazing program intended to close the opportunity gap that faces many families and children in our community.

They Keynote speaker was Dr. Nathan Chomilo, amongst many titles and accolades, the medical director of Reach out and Read Minnesota. Dr. Chomilo eloquently laid out the opportunity gap during early childhood the systems in place preventing certain individuals from an equal path to success. The facts are astounding. If we support our children in the early phases and provide families support, the net benefit to the family and community as a whole are massive.

 It isn’t just education though, access to affordable housing and food are just as important. We also heard from prominent community members as well as the brave story of a mother that was able to utilize the support of Interfaith Outreach and was given help during a tough time when it wasn’t available elsewhere. It left me with chills.

The Great Expectations campaign supports local kids by funding youth education programs, including early childhood education, out-of-school-time learning opportunities and mentoring programs, parent education, summer camp and extra-curricular activity scholarships, and hundreds of backpacks stuffed with school supplies. The goal is to ensure that each and every child has the necessary support, from cradle to career, to succeed in school and in life.

Early education matters. Brain development is most significant from birth to age 3. Every dollar invested in quality early learning equals $16 savings to taxpayers in future costs while setting kids on the path to success. With a strong start, our kids are 80% more likely to graduate high school and earn up to 2x the income.

If you would like to learn more or make a donation, here is a link. https://www.iocp.org/donations/great-expectations-youth-education/