This year is all about partnership.
Partnering with parents to care for their child.
Partnering with our community to do more for children.
Partnering with programs to connect families to resources.
Partnering with agencies to build better programs and policies.
Partnering with people to ensure Alaska children are ready to succeed.
A lot of people are surprised to hear that Best Beginnings is a small staff. And yet we are able to do so much because of the partnerships we engage in. Behind every item you see in our newsletters, there is a partnership that made it possible. Imagination Library in Alaska is an incredible example of this, served by 29 affiliates run by mostly volunteers, across over 120 communities. All working hard to ensure thousands of Alaska children have high-quality books in the home. Whether it’s a single volunteer filling a critical role in our organization, or a supporter who makes our work possible. Behind every great program is a partnership.
This year we’re excited to continue to support our existing partnerships and networks as we also expand into new ones. We hope you’ll follow us in 2023, and stay connected as we share the impact partnership is having on the lives of families in Alaska.
Here are just a few of the partnerships, projects, and stories you can expect to hear about:
- Last summer we partnered with several entities to make On to Kindergarten camps a reality. This year we’re looking for even more new partners to help us expand the program across the state (read more). Soon we’ll be hiring a Program Coordinator to guide us through the project over the next two years, as well as teachers and assistants to work with up and coming kindergarteners this summer.
- We continue to provide subject expertise in early literacy, development, and family engagement to professional who provide services for young children.
- In January, we partnered in the work of Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Alaska Native Heritage Center to aid in the expansion of Baby Raven Reads to Alaska Native families in Anchorage.
- In February, Anchorage Imagination Library will again launch free family events that are not only fun – but serve as a joyful teaching moment – showing families how storytime and simple play activities can support a child’s development.
- In May, we’re bringing together hundreds of people to support early literacy through a new signature event that will raise critical funds for early learning in Alaska.
And we continue to advocate for increased investment in early education and policies that will have a positive impact on the health and education of young children, supporting our early childhood partners, and working to educate stakeholders on the value of early learning and resources available to them.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can partner with us to improve kindergarten readiness in Alaska, our door is always open.
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Or visit our website to learn more.