“Presenting was such an impactful experience,” said Dr. Elizabeth Swann, facilitator of the Childcare Resources Education, Advancement, and Training for Early Educators (CREATE) program. “Our team was able to connect with local, state, and national early childhood education professionals to share our knowledge and further our impact on the early childhood landscape.”
CREATE, established in 2017 as the Credentialing Program for Early Educators, partners with accredited colleges and universities throughout Florida so that local early childhood professionals have the opportunity to earn credentials and degrees in the field of early education in a supportive, guided environment.
The CREATE team including Dr. Swann, coordinator Stephanie Harmody, and recruitment specialist La’Quinta Jones, Ed. D, were featured presenters at Florida Association for the Education of Young Children’s annual conference. Held in Jacksonville, the conference attracted early education professionals and advocates from across the state of Florida.
The CREATE presenters shared success stories and lessons learned from the first five years of the program in a session titled ‘Building a Community: Stories from our Backyard.’ The interactive session enabled attendees to develop their own plans to bring together early childhood professionals and opportunities in higher education. Attendees represented a broad range of roles including students, adjunct professors, center directors, and coalition administrators.
“Our presentation focused on our model for success, including the power of partnerships, program design, and data, and also included barrier-breaking stories of success,” shared Dr. Swann. “Audience members participated in activities to foster a deeper level of conversation about how to bring this model to life in their own communities. Both presenters and attendees left the session feeling empowered.”