Great Start Great Future

Great Start Great Future is a campaign to provide resources and information to parents and caregivers of children ages 0-3 in Newark so every child gets a great start. Resources include:

• Tools for tracking your child’s growth and development
• Resources for parents/ caregivers concerned about a child’s development
• Local resources to support your parenting journey
• Mindfulness apps and creative activities to explore with your child

Click here to learn more.

First Book is the largest and fastest growing network of educators and program leaders exclusively serving children in need. With more than 325,000 current members, and nearly 4,000 educators signing up each month, the First Book network now reaches an average of 3 million children every year, and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million educators serving children in need. First Book’s goal is to reach every classroom and community in need with books and educational resources.

Click here to download agenda with registration links.

The Newark Trust for Education (NTE) is proud to announce the fourth annual Safe and Supportive Learning Environments Summit: Centering Children and Families! This year’s summit will focus on the exploration of existing and emerging approaches to creating safe and supportive learning environments in schools, in homes and in community. Over three days (May 10th – 12th), participants will hear keynote remarks delivered by local advocates and experts, including Anfal Muhammad-Jenkins and Safir Jenkins of Newark SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council); DeNiqua Matias, Executive Director for Clinton Hill Community and Early Childhood Center; and Douglas McNeill Reed, Director of Partnerships for Black Men Heal. During each session summit speakers, panelists, and facilitators will also share their views on the role of healthy multigenerational family and community relationships in supporting the socio-emotional and academic development of all children.

Participants and presenters will also explore and critique NTE’s emerging engagement framework. The proposed strategy highlights the merits of community-driven, culturally responsive models that harmonize local practices with sector-developed standards of excellence. The plan aims to create intentional and routine opportunities for community members— emphasizing the participation of families and caregivers of children ages 0 to eighteen—to gather and share information, provide input, and make informed decisions to determine improvement and growth strategies for their communities.

This summit is made possible due to the generosity of Columbia Bank, Victoria Foundation, Prudential Foundation, and Leon and Toby Cooperman Foundation

2022 SSLE SUMMIT AGENDA

NOTE: Each day requires separate registration.

Click here to register for Day #1

DAY #1 - Tuesday May 10, 2022 (9:30 am - 1:30pm)
SSLE in SCHOOLS

Opening Remarks (9:30 am - 9:50 am)
(Presented by Ronald Chaluisán, Executive Director, Newark Trust for Education)

Keynote Address (9:50 am to 10:50 am)
Psychological Safety for Thriving Students, Thriving Families, and a Thriving Society
This keynote underscores the importance of establishing and maintaining an inclusive learning environment that promotes humanness, exploration, risk-taking, leadership, and pronounced participation. Participants will learn about fostering meaningful student support to activate thriving students, thriving families and, ultimately, a thriving society. (Presented by Anfal Muhammad-Jenkins – Executive Director, Newark SEPAC and Saafir Jenkins – Chief Public Affairs Officer, Newark SEPAC).

Session 1 (11:05 am - 12:20 pm)
Centering Students and Families Through Schoolwide SEL
This interactive discussion will explore the perspectives of students, families and educators on the importance of social emotional learning initiatives at their schools and highlight learnings from five schools engaged in long-term systemic SEL work as part of NTE’s Building School Wide SEL program from January, 2020- June, 2022, through the COVID-19 pandemic. (Moderated by Tiffany Jackson, Director, Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial)

BREAK & Belmont Runyon Family Engagement Showcase (12:20pm - 12:35 pm)

Session 2 (12:35pm - 1:30 pm)
Sustainability & Equity in Schoolwide SEL: Roseville Community Charter School’s Journey
This presentation will highlight the importance of building strong teams, embedding continuous improvement and engaging stakeholders in building sustainable and equitable social emotional learning initiatives in schools. Participants will hear learnings about how family engagement strategies support long-term SEL work.
(Presented by Roseville Community Charter School SEL Leadership and Team)

Click here to register for Day #2

DAY #2 - Wednesday May 11, 2022 (9:30am - 1:30pm)
SSLE at Home

Opening Remarks (9:30 am - 9:50 am)
(Presented by Ronald Chaluisán, Executive Director, Newark Trust for Education)

Keynote Address (9:50 am to 10:50 am)
There's No Place Like Home: Recognizing the Value in Home Based Child Care
The recent global pandemic highlighted how critical child care is to a functioning world. Home based, or family child care programs in particular, have played an important role in helping families return to work. This address recognizes the value that home based programs bring to the overall system of early care and education, while celebrating them for the professionals they are. (Presented by DeNiqua Matias, Assistant Director, Clinton Hill Community and Early Childhood Center)

BREAK (10:50am - 11:00 am)

Session 1 (11:00 am- 12:15 pm)
The Newark CARES Network: Centering FCC Providers and Families
This session includes a presentation and community connection discussion meant to energize and stimulate new ideas and strategies that will shape the Newark Cares Network. Participants will learn about the network’s journey to date and engage in small groups to consider how the network might position itself as a “for us, by us” entity toward FCC sustainability and taking back and redefining quality.
(Kalimah Wilson, NTE, Stacey Alicea, NTE, Maria Stephen, Unified Vailsburg Service Organization, DeNiqua Matias, Clinton Hill Community and Early Childhood Center, Orlene Cummings, Twin Flames Daycare, Khadeejah Cooks, Salafy Daycare)

BREAK (12:15 pm - 12:30 pm)

Session 2 (12:30 pm- 1:30 pm)
Honor Yourself: Tools for Integrating Self-care and Wellness into Daily Routines
You are worth ease, care, and time for reflection. In this session participants will exp-lore five areas of self-care and create a plan for implementing routines to help us relax, relate, and release.
(Presented by Evelyn Alvarez, Trainer, Coach, Radio host, Community Doula & Connector)

Click here to register for Day #3

DAY #3 - Thursday May 12, 2022 (9:30am - 1:30pm)
SSLE in Community

Opening Remarks (9:30 am - 9:50 am)
(Presented by Ronald Chaluisán, Executive Director, Newark Trust for Education)

Keynote Address (9:50 am to 10:50 am)
Maintaining Wellness at Home, School and Work
This keynote will address how to create safe spaces for parents, children, and teachers by identifying the 8 Dimensions of Wellness, which provide a holistic harmony for one's personal well-being.
(Presented by Douglas McNeill Reed, Director of Partnerships, Black Men Heal)

Session 1 (10:50 am- 11:35 am)
Acknowledging Barriers: Engaging Male Caregivers to Improve Outcomes for Children
This session includes a father-centered, guided discussion to support moving from mother and female caregiver focused engagement, to full family engagement. This session will address Why and How to eliminate personal and professional barriers to father engagement in support of children’s health and development, by building positive, supportive relationships in homes, schools, and communities.
(Panelist: Leonard Davis, FELLAS Program; David Armstrong, Better Together; Emmanuel F. Larose, MBA, Newark Community Health Centers; Saafir Jenkins, Newark SEPAC)

BREAK (11:35am - 11:50 am)

Session 2 (11:50 am- 12:35 pm)
Collaborating for Success: Empowering Women in Community Leadership for Healthier Families
In this session participants will meet a group of women who will share their experiences of learning, connection, and empowerment as they endeavor to become community leaders in Newark. Session participants will engage in small group discussions with these women to explore and discuss the support needed for integration into community groups that make decisions affecting the education, health and well being of families.
(Early Learning and P-12 Teams with Nicole Pratt from SPAN. Empowered Women: Mary Omole, Cynthia Basheer, Shannon Ingraham, Tiffany Lawson Newton, Machion Westbrook-Crawford, and Bendue James)

SEL Awards (12:50pm - 1:30 pm)
NTE Social-Emotional Learning Honors: Community Champions
This year, the Newark Trust for Education will honor trailblazers who inspire, develop strong relationships and promote resilience and social-emotional growth in their work. In addition, NTE Community Champions exemplify the core values of collaboration and integrity and consistently use their time, actions and talents towards strengthening their community.
(Presented by My’chal Wilkins)

As part of the ParentChild+Virtual Conference, scheduled for May 12-14, 2020, members of the Newark Trust for Education's staff made presentations on Learning From Practice and Parent Engagement and Retention. Resources from each presentation can be accessed below.

Metis Associates, in partnership with the Center for Research and Evaluation on Education and Human Services (CREEHS) at Montclair State University, was selected in 2017 to conduct a 2-year evaluation of the South Ward Community Schools Initiative (SWCSI). The evaluation, which includes formative and summative components, is designed to document the successes, challenges and lessons learned, and assess the impact of the initiative on key student, family, school, and community outcomes.