JumpStart Tulsa
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Smart Start Oklahoma Community Partnership
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The room was brightly decorated with artwork by Kendall-Whittier students.
Students greeted arriving guests and escorted them to the meeting room.
Kendall-Whittier Principal Judy Feary, and Janet McKenzie, kindergarten teacher and planning committee member, hosted the meeting.
Planning committee members and Partnership members, representing all sectors of the community, gathered and greeted colleagues. Partners and committee members
Leaders were challenged to "test" their own "readiness" to start school -- discovering that knowing the rules and having had the necessary experiences before they arrived made all the difference.
Mayor Bill LaFortune, County Commissioner Randi Miller, and Kendall-Whittier Principal Judy Feary welcomed everyone. Read their comments
Speakers described the critical importance of early childhood education and sounded a compelling call to action, generating lively discussion. Read these presentations Speakers were Bill Doenges (Chair of the Tulsa Metropolitan Human Services Commission), Steven Nell (Chief Financial Officer of BOK Financial Corp.), Nancy McDonald (Community Service Council board member and long-time community volunteer leader), Pete Churchwell (President of AEP/PSO, and Chair of the Governor's Task Force on Early Childhood Development), and Steve Kennedy (HKH Advertising; Chair of JumpStart and the Early Childhood Community Engagement Committee, Community Service Council). Gary Percefull helped with a question-and-answer session and lively discussion.
Participants received notebooks containing extensive information about early childhood development and Tulsa's work -- and a video.
People stayed to talk about what they had learned, and begin planning for the exciting work ahead.
The Tulsa "World" covered the kick-off and published a feature story. Article and photos
After the meeting, everyone enjoyed a tour of Kendall-Whittier's early childhood classrooms.
As the centerpieces showed, JumpStart is clearly a "grass roots" initiative!
The planning committee met the following week to celebrate a great JumpStart for the work of Tulsa's exciting new Partnership for Early Childhood Success. Committee list
Photo credits:
Top of page Kick-off Tulsa Partnership/JumpStart Tulsa World article Home |
