Elevating Early Learning and Child Care Quality with VN TeamWork

To prioritize community voices, LNOs provided residents with many meaningful opportunities to share their ideas on how to improve and expand early learning and child care opportunities within their neighborhoods. In spring and summer 2024, VN TeamWork organized outreach events, listening sessions, and town halls to gather input from child care providers, families, and other community members. During this period, residents were also encouraged to apply to the ELQN Advisory Committee, which was responsible for identifying key needs and envisioning what high-quality care could look like in their communities.

VN TeamWork’s nine-member ELQN Advisory Committee is made up of two center-based providers, two home-based providers, two parent/family members, and three community-based partners or child care advocates. This group played an essential role in considering community input, analyzing relevant data (including community surveys), and generating a plan to address local needs while staying aligned with community priorities.

Through this process, VN TeamWork and the ELQN Advisory Committee identified key early learning and child care challenges in the area. The team found that their target zip codes face significant challenges, including high poverty rates—with over 24% of children under 5 living in poverty—and a high uninsured rate. Providers, particularly those serving the area’s diverse Asian community, reported a need for more financial assistance, professional development, resources for effective learning, and tools to ensure safety. Of 157 providers in the area, only 19 participate in Texas Rising Star, with just 10 achieving Four-Star certification. There is also a strong demand for culturally and linguistically appropriate services to address the community’s needs.

VN TeamWork’s town hall meeting at Golden Bamboo Village III.

Equally impactful was intentionally creating an inclusive space that fostered dialogue from diverse perspectives. “[The executive director] has given us a good time and the space to talk. . . He created a very comfortable group for all of us to feel safe sharing,” one participant noted. By bringing together diverse voices and perspectives, the committee fostered rich conversations and ensured all participants felt heard, further enhancing their success.

A child care provider joined the Photovoice project to explore the experiences of families, providers, and community members with early learning and child care in Alief, Sharpstown, Gulfton, Braeburn, and Westwood. She captured photos and shared stories—both her own and those of her neighbors—highlighting community needs, key issues, and opportunities for improvement. Below, she shares her photos and narratives about the community.

In this image, many hands are visible as a boy counts marshmallows for a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) project to build a dog using supplies. He looks upset because he couldn’t count past five in English, and the teacher is providing support.

I remember feeling similarly at a young age; math seemed foreign to me because I wasn’t surrounded by people who took an interest in it. Many parents are not equipped with the tools to teach their children everyday concepts like counting. To address this, we could offer parent-focused math and STEM nights in the community. There are people in the world who are passionate about these subjects and eager to share that enthusiasm, helping others discover the value of learning in fun and interactive ways. These kinds of events could empower families, build confidence in math skills, and support early childhood development in meaningful ways.

– Child Care Provider

TURNING NEEDS INTO ACTION: ELQN STRATEGY GUIDE