NEWS

The Data Support Team launched Visible Network Labs in November. With the help of Visible Network Labs, we’ll gain deeper insights into our community networks and create visual tools to better understand our partnerships, highlight strengths, and pinpoint gaps in our ecosystem. Learn more at this LINK.

The Communications Support Team engaged with the work of refreshing the Building Strong Brains website and launching social media to evolve with the coalition work. We will be adding additional content to the site to continue to make it a valuable resource for our collective work in Elkhart County.

Click on the LINK to visit the website.

Social Media:

• Follow and share the Building Strong Brains Facebook Page 
• Follow and share Building Strong Brains Instagram
• Follow and share Building Strong Brains LinkedIn

The Building Strong Brains coalition has consistently highlighted the importance of understanding all factors that influence a young child’s ability to thrive. Recognizing that Economic Self-Sufficiency plays a vital role in a family’s stability and a child’s success, the coalition acknowledges the need for ongoing evolution in its work. The model below reflects input from coalition partners and teams, demonstrating alignment with our shared vision. By valuing and elevating collective feedback, we remain focused on our goal: Improving Kindergarten Readiness in Elkhart County!

Building Strong Brains convened 40 Community Resource Navigators from eight community organizations in October to listen to community resource navigators who are experts in the experiences of families with young children in Elkhart County. Jeanette Harder, PhD, MSW, LSW, MSW Program Director, and Professor of Social Work at Goshen College, led the gathering. Community Resource Navigators identified successes, barriers, and potential solutions to challenges to inform the work of the developing place-based pilot project and provide contextual information for work across the coalition. Thank you for all your contributions!

Liz Weaver retired from Tamarack Institute at the end of November. Liz served in leadership roles at the Tamarack Institute for 15 years, with her most recent role serving as co-CEO. Liz has been an amazing partner in Building Strong Brains by contributing design work, offering tools to propel engagement, challenging us, and encouraging us. We extend our gratitude and best wishes to her with this new chapter. Liz has graciously agreed to continue serving as a thought partner and provider of professional development over the next year. Listen to Liz’s Podcast Episode: Reflecting on a Career Committed to Collective Change at this LINK.

Brian Replogle joined the Building Strong Brains Coalition in August as its assistant director. A retired firefighter and EMT-A from South Bend, Brian is a dedicated father to his son, Austin, and has been a passionate advocate for families and children—both with and without disabilities—for over 20 years. He has collaborated with various local, state, and national organizations to improve the lives of children.

Over the past two decades, Brian has been a public speaker, educating communities on topics such as child abuse prevention, with a focus on Shaken Baby Syndrome, parenting, and child development strategies. Born and raised in the area, he has deep roots in the community and is personally committed to supporting children and families. He is eager to contribute to the work of the Building Strong Brains Coalition, helping to lay a stronger foundation for the future of the community.

Thank you to SmartNoggin for donating over 100 Baby’s First Book of Sounds to Elkhart County partners for distribution to families. Marcia Haut, SmartNoggin Founder, lived and worked in Elkhart County for years and we are thankful for this donation to support young children and families in Elkhart County. If you haven’t heard of SmartNoggin, visit their website to learn more about the NogginStik Developmental Light-up Rattle, NogginRings Reaching and Grasping Rings, and Baby’s First Book of 44 Sounds.

We are continually learning and evolving as we build a strong, sustainable Building Strong Brains coalition. A key part of this complex effort is measuring our shared impact and planning strategic next steps. With the help of Visible Network Labs, we’ll gain deeper insights into our community networks and create visual tools to better understand our partnerships, highlight strengths, and pinpoint gaps in our ecosystem. Leaders from the Building Strong Brains Data Support Team: Horizon Education Alliance, the Elkhart County Health Department, the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families at the University of Notre Dame, and the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society are preparing to implement this tool to ensure the coalition’s long-term strength and growth. As we roll out Visible Network Labs, coalition partners will be invited to participate in a survey this fall. We’re excited about the valuable insights this project will provide to enhance the work of Building Strong Brains.

Why Network analysis?

1.  Strategic Collaboration
2.  Efficient Resource Allocation
3.  Data-Driven Decision Making
4.  Strengthening Relationships
5.  Identifying Gaps and Opportunities

Learn More » 

We are excited to welcome Goshen College as our newest organizational sponsor. Our organizational sponsors help BSB by:

• Prioritizing early child development as a focus for the organization, evidenced by board agreement.
• Agreeing to share, to the extent possible, relevant information with coalition partners to reach shared goals.
• Demonstrating commitment to systems-level change to children and their families by participating in coalition teams and projects that extend beyond one organization’s or sector’s perspective.
• Contributing time, expertise, leadership, and financial resources.

August Family Child Care Networking Event

Thank you to Geminus for visiting family child care providers in Elkhart County to invite them to the Family Child Care Networking event held last month. Each provider received a bag filled with information, resources, and giveaways, along with an invitation to attend the event. 

Family child care professionals had the opportunity to network and learn about available resources provided by INAEYC, SPARK Learning Labs, The SOURCE, and Geminus. They also had an opportunity to hear updates about the Building Strong Brains work across the coalition network. 

Virtual Family Child Care Network Meeting

Be part of Indiana’s most dynamic network for professionals like you. Join a vibrant community of family child care professionals who understand your unique challenges and are ready to support you every step of the way. 

Elkhart County Home Care providers are invited to join us virtually, at 7 p.m. September 26 for “Setting the Stage for Multi-Age Play,” presented by Town Square Explore the many right ways to create a functional, inviting, and high-quality care and learning environment in this virtual training for family child care providers by describing the role of space, furniture, and materials in supporting multi-age play. Training hours will be provided. *Thank you to our partners at Geminus, Crossroads United Way, the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, and the Building Strong Brains Quality Child Care and Early Learning Environments Action Team, for planning, facilitating, and sponsoring these early childhood professionals’ events. 

Register Here »