Find Good Partners

The past two weeks have been filled with activity, big announcements and events which are the culmination of months of work for many people. In each of these situations, the role of picking the right partners and creating strong relationships if we want to create a movement has been driven home.

In mid-November the Governor unveiled the final report for Washington Learns at an event in Seattle where Bill Gates III was the keynote speaker. Mr. Gates' comments raised some serious challenges to our current way of thinking about education and the lessons learned in partnership with the private sector prompt us to mobilize the forces to make the difference in education.

For me, it was great to follow that event with a reception at the Governor's Summit on Early Learning. As the truly amazing and flexible partners with whom, I was fortunate to plan the Summit worked, we were insistent that the Summit needed to include ample opportunities for local and state early learning champions to meet each other on an individual level. The fact that Jone Bosworth and Regina Jones modeled flexibility and playfulness by dancing to the marimba band, set a good and relaxed tone for the crowd. As we moved into the next day's activities, I was struck by how many great, flexible and strategic thinking partners I have across the state. After the Governor's inspirational comments, I was fortunate to be asked to facilitate the 19 5-minute presentations that individual local teams made about the key ingredients they felt necessary to build local capacity and momentum. The main point is, we have many great, flexible and strategic thinkers at the state-level and in local communities.

Over the next week,the wit, wisdom, commitment and capacity of other key partners was evident. At the Foundation for Early Learning's board retreat, our board members from across the state and our staff showed how strategic, flexible and passionate they are about making a difference for children and families in Washington. We had a good discussion about the best and most strategic role the Foundation can currently play. The board decided we should focus on providing many of the supports identified by the local teams at the Summit, such as early learning community networking tools and web-based collaboration tools.

At the Thrive by Five Washington board meeting, Governor Gregoire and Bill Gates Sr. demonstrated their full grasp of what it will really take to move the agenda forward. The talents, intellect and wisdom of Jone Bosworth and Graciela Italiano Thomas as well as the support and experience of other board members and supporters was also evident.

Finally, today during the evaluation teleconference for a Kids Matter funder, the flexibility, strategic thinking and determination of key players was again on display. All of this is to say, that identifying strong partners in the cause, nurturing the relationships we develop and keeping our common vision on a common point in the future is irreplaceable in moving us ahead. Thank YOU for your partnership!

Lend a Hand

Another important aspect of advancing a successful early learning strategy was brought home again to me this past week and a half with full force. Namely, we will not get far if we do not join hands and support each other, not just philosophically, but in a real and practical way.

As plans for the Governor's Summit on Early Learning move ahead next week, there are many other activities distracting key players. The impending reports of Washington Learns, the Early Learning Council and the Department of Early Learning to name but a few. Since the effort to plan the Summit has been a collaborative effort from the start, it is not surprising to me that tasks woudl get handed from one person to the next as circumstances change. But in the past week and a half, we have absorbed multiple vacations, illnesses, major car crashes, unexpected and tricky political work in Seattle and all sorts of challenges to our success.

I have been amazed and gratified as people have pitched in, helped each other and additional support has fallen from the sky. It is a good reminder that investing in strong work relationships with people you can trust, is a necessary precursor to creating a movement in any field. Thanks to all of you who have lent a hand to make sure that my work and OUR work continues NO MATTER WHAT!