Throughout the summer, the First 10 team has been visiting communities for annual Summer Institutes. These Summer Institutes provide opportunities for First 10 Partnerships to come together for professional learning and intentional planning for the next school year.
Supporting Family Math and Engagement in York, Pennsylvania
Early childhood educators from across York came together for a day of professional learning with the First 10 team. Educators learned about the Young Mathematician’s (YM) 10 math games and storybooks that were curated for the York community. The Summer Institute included sessions on implementing the YM games with families. Educators received copies of math storybooks and discussed ways they could launch a new family math initiative in York schools and early childhood education programs. The First 10 team also led professional learning sessions on fostering family engagement with a focus on supporting multilingual learner families. The Summer Institute provided a great opportunity for York early childhood educators and community partners to come together for shared learning and community-building.
Kicking Off New First 10 Partnerships in Montgomery, Alabama
The Summer institute in Alabama served as a kickoff event for two new First 10 Partnerships, Nixon and Davis. Members from the Nixon and Davis teams were joined by the Montgomery Community Action (MCA) Head Start to learn about the First 10 Framework and strategies. The teams also had the opportunity to begin their First 10 strategic planning process by assessing community assets and needs for supporting children and families. Teams spent time developing goals and discussing how to incorporate specific practices into their First 10 strategic plans to support successful implementation. This was a great opportunity for teams to begin building relationships that will support their work with children and families.
Celebrating Successes in Maine
In July, the First 10 Partnerships from across the state gathered in Bangor, Maine. The Maine Summer Institute provided an opportunity for Maine First 10 Partnerships to share highlights from 2024-25 transition to kindergarten and family partnership activities. Each Partnership brought in examples of their community adapted First 10 materials to share with one another through a gallery walk. The Summer Institute also featured a professional learning session on using data to support continuous improvement of First 10 activities. Partnership teams had time to begin planning ahead for the upcoming school year. Partnership teams also discussed how they could sustain and scale their work to support more children and families beyond December 2025.
Building on the Work of Existing Communities in Loudoun County, Virginia
Two new First 10 Partnerships, Evergreen Mills Elementary and Leesburg Elementary, kicked off their work at the Virginia Summer Institute. The new Partnership teams were joined by school district leaders, as well as the Claude Moore Foundation and the Loudoun Education Foundation. Teams had the opportunity to learn more about the First 10 Framework and begin their needs assessment process to inform their strategic plans.
A highlight of the Summer Institute was hearing from members of the Sugarland and Newton-Lee Partnerships, two schools that launched their transition to kindergarten and family partnerships activities during the previous school year.
Looking Forward to the School Year Ahead
All four Summer Institutes offered a great opportunity to connect with one another in-person for community-building and intentional planning for the upcoming school year. It will be exciting to see how each First 10 Partnership adapts the First 10 Framework and strategies to work best for their communities.