March 2025 Newsletter
Introducing The Sandbox: Thoughts from the Executive Director
The Children’s Opportunity Alliance is pleased to debut a new blog series from Executive Director Kimberly Rusnak. Each month, The Sandbox will provide an in-depth look at the Alliance’s shared work and the progress made toward expanding access to high-quality early care and education.
The Sandbox will be an opportunity to share more about the values that guide our work and to explore how the community can engage in this critical push to support young children and their families — especially through this rapidly shifting time in our region and country. In her first post, “First Steps: Reflections on Progress,” Kimberly reflects on the momentum built over the past year and outlines the framework for the Alliance’s actions toward systems change.
Montgomery County Celebrates Read Across America
On March 3, the Alliance kicked off their celebration of “Read Across America” week with daily book reading events to promote early literacy among young children in Montgomery County. Councilmembers and agency leaders joined child care centers across the County as guest readers.
Read Across America, celebrated each March, is a nationwide initiative launched by the National Education Association (NEA) to promote children’s literacy. Early literacy provides children with tools to give them a strong start in education and position them for lifelong success.
This year, young learners heard from special guest readers, including Councilmember Andrew Friedson, Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez, County Executive Marc Elrich, Dr. James Bridgers (DHHS), Jennifer Arnaiz (DHHS), Council President Kate Stewart, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, and Councilmember Dawn Luedtke. Participating child care centers included Precious Moments Family Childcare, Journey Preschool, CentroNia, the Nurturey Children’s Center, RDCA Woodlin Child Development Center, Rockville Nursery School, Kenia Reinoso’s Family Childcare, and Hope Grows Child Development Center.
Check out some photos from the week!
Councilmember Andrew Friedson with young learners at Precious Moments Family Childcare
Dr. James Bridgers (DHHS) promoting early literacy at the Nurturey Children’s Center
Council President Kate Stewart reading to young children at Rockville Nursery School
County Executive Marc Elrich sharing his love of reading with children at CentroNia
Month of the Young Child
April is Month of the Young Child! Join the Alliance for three special events throughout the County as we celebrate the importance of early care and education.
Register for a 5K and Fun Run
Bring your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors for an energizing run to kick off Month of the Young Child this April. Breeze Thru the Trees, a 5K race and one-mile fun run winding through beautiful Ruppert Nurseries in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve on Sunday, April 6, will benefit the Children’s Opportunity Alliance! Breeze Thru the Trees is sponsored by Ruppert Nurseries and Sophie Felts Floral.
Date of Race:
Sunday, April 6, 2025, 8 AM
Location:
Ruppert Nurseries
23601 Laytonsville Rd., Laytonsville, MD 20882
Support the Alliance with a Meal
On Wednesday, April 9, restaurants across Montgomery County are participating in the first annual Dine Out for Young Children. This event is an opportunity to support local businesses while promoting the importance of early care and education. Participating restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Alliance.
Attend a Panel Discussion on Early Care and Education
Join the Alliance for an event with author Dan Wuori and local leaders about the importance of investing in early care. Wuori will discuss his book, The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It), with local leaders, including:
Dr. Thomas Taylor, Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools
Jennifer Arnaiz, Senior Administrator for Early Childhood Services Department of Health and Human Services
Danielle Edmondson, Parent
The conversation will be moderated by Demetria Joyce, Director, Early Childhood Strategy Implementation for the Bainum Family Foundation.
The event is free, and books will be available for purchase. Child care and language translation will be available at this event, if requested during registration.
Date:
Monday, April 28, 2025, 6 - 8 pm
Location:
White Oak Recreation Center
1700 April Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20904
Advocacy in Action: An Evening in Annapolis
On February 10th, more than 60 early care and education advocates joined the Alliance for an evening in Annapolis to support child care initiatives and policies and to protect investments in child care. We met with state legislators and had the opportunity to speak candidly about our personal experiences with the ECE system, as well as share our thoughts and ideas for systemic changes.
There is still much work to be done during this year’s state session. Read the written testimony we have submitted on relevant early childhood legislation. Stay tuned for more advocacy opportunities with the Alliance!
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. I never thought the State legislators would listen to me so keenly, consider me a genuine voice in early child care and education, and ask directed questions.”
- Childcare Advocate
“This was my first time going to Annapolis, and I was genuinely surprised with how much I enjoyed it! The legislators were eager to speak with me and listened to my personal stories. I left feeling more optimistic about early care and education knowing we have allies in our government.”
- Childcare Advocate
Request for Proposals: Family Child Care Pre-K Capacity
The Alliance is seeking proposals from community-based organizations to support Family Child Care (FCC) providers in increasing their capacity, with the intention of preparing for eventual application to the Maryland State Department of Education Pre-Kindergarten Expansion Grant Program. This initiative aims to strengthen FCC providers in Montgomery County by offering technical assistance and training to prepare their programs for delivering high-quality Pre-K. The selected partners will deliver targeted support through specialized services tailored to the unique needs of FCC providers.
Proposals are due by Friday, March 21, 2025. Please share with anyone who may be a good fit for this work. For any questions, please email Kimberly Pena-Molina, Early Care and Education Manager, at kpmolina@mocochildren.org.