JANE PAULEY JOINS BESSIE TARTT
WILSON INITIATIVE FOR CHILDREN TO MARK ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY ON
OCTOBER 18
(October18, 2012 -BOSTON, MA ? Television journalist and former Today show co-host Jane Pauley will join the Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children on Thursday, October 18 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for a gala to mark the initiative?s 10thanniversary of advocating for early childhood education in Massachusetts.
Pauley, the co-host of NBC?s signature morning program for 13 years, will be the guest speaker at the anniversary celebration joining Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative
for Children founder and President Mary L. Reed, former U.S. Sen. Paul Kirk and 300 guests to mark a decade of research and advocacy on behalf of early childhood education and the children, families and teachers who count on the system.
?When we formed the Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children a decade ago, we set a simple goal of improving the lives of low income children by working with
parents, policy makers, legislators and researchers to improve the delivery of early childhood education and care,? said Reed. ?My mother would be grateful to
see that her legacy continues to shape this crucial piece of our education system in a constructive and collaborative way."
Reed founded BTWIC in honor of her mother, pioneering early educator Bessie Tartt Wilson, who in 1946 started Tartt?s Day Care Center, which is Boston?s oldest
minority-owned childcare center. Tartt Wilson believed that all children in her care, no matter how young, should be nurtured, trained, and educated in preparation for elementary school.
BTWIC has conducted groundbreaking research into the early childhood education and care system in Massachusetts and advocated for a range of reforms to improve the way the system works to support low income children and families. Most recently, the initiative released the report Sustaining Early Education Development
(SEED): The Effort to Build a Permanent Fund for Massachusetts.
"Under Mary?s leadership, BTWIC has taken advocacy on behalf of early education to an inspired level,? said BTWIC Board of Trustees Chairwoman Gail Kirk, a founding
board member. ?BTWIC advocacy is grounded in facts and rooted in reality in order to establish a meaningful discussion between parents, policymakers,
providers, legislators and regulators. That discussion has been a fruitful one and thousands of Massachusetts children and families have been the direct
beneficiaries.?
BTWIC works to enact positive reforms for early education throughout Massachusetts. BTWIC focuses on the children of families who receive government subsidies for early
education and represent households where poverty and other factors put children at risk for physical, social, and cognitive and other developmental delays. In
particular, the initiative works on behalf of the poorest communities throughout the state, including Lowell, New Bedford, Fall River, Springfield, Lawrence, Cape Cod, Springfield, and Worcester.
Reed has forced close partnerships with legislative leaders, government agencies and the Massachusetts business community in an effort to create as broad a coalition as
possible to advocate on behalf of the state?s neediest children.
?Massachusetts businesses have a vested interest in the quality of early childhood education options offered throughout the state,? said BTWIC Trustee Charles Rizzo, senior vice president and chief financial officer for the John Hancock Family of Funds. ?High quality day care and pre-school are critical to the success of our students in elementary and secondary school. Mary and BTWIC have made that link clear and built a compelling case for businesses to join in advocating for changes that help to better prepare our youngest residents for success in
school.?
BTWIC research has focused on the delivery of federally-subsidized services to families in need, analyzed the qualifications of the early education workforce,
examined the impact of student loan debt on educators, proposed compensation reforms and most recently examined how Massachusetts could stabilize funding
for early education and care.
Its recent report, Sustaining Early Education Development lays the groundwork for the creation of the SEED Fund, a permanent fund established with private donations that would bring funding stability through a voucher-like system for needy parents.
"I am grateful for all of the support the BTWIC has received all the way from the State House to family childcare providers and modest pre-schools in some of the
poorest neighborhoods,? said Reed. ?That is a tribute to the genuine interest so many of us have in seeing that future generations of children can overcome
the barriers to educational success and live full and productive lives.?
For more information about the Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children, please visit?http://www.btwic.org.
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