On Tuesday and Wednesday, First Lady Cecile de Jongh attended a seminar, “Leadership in Our Communities” as part of the National Governors Association’s session in Omaha, Nebraska. The seminar was hosted by First Lady of Nebraska Sally Ganem and focused on providing dialogue and peer-to-peer contact on issues concerning the wellbeing of the nation’s children and families, especially regarding early childhood education and care.

First Lady Cecile de Jongh is joined by first lady of Nebraska Sally Ganem (far left) and first lady of Montana Nancy Schweitzer (far right) at the Educare early childhood center in Omaha, Nebraska as part of the National Governors Association seminar, May 4, 2011.

The summit brought together governor’s spouses from the nation’s states and territories, as well as key stakeholders in the childcare, social and economic research fields to discuss policies that seek to provide better health, early education, and human services for all families. Discussion topics focused on local and state efforts to improve child outcomes, integrate public services across state systems and create a comprehensive state children’s policy agenda. 

“In the Virgin Islands we remain focused on working toward placing all children in early childhood education and care programs, thereby maximizing their developmental health and overall wellness in later years. Through our work with the Children and Families Council, in particular, we continue emphasizing the correlation between proper early childhood care and one’s future success. The hope and goal is to prepare all Virgin Islands children to be healthy and ready for school,” the first lady said.

The NGA seminar provided an important platform for governor’s spouses to dialogue on critical topics in child and family care, focusing on continuing to build a better future for all children.

As part of the seminar activities, the first lady visited Educare, a state-of-the-art early childhood center in Omaha created to help families raise strong, healthy children. The special visit was hosted by Susie Buffet, daughter of Warren Buffet; the Buffet family is actively involved in supporting childcare issues.

The $6 million Educare facility provides all-day, year-round care and education for economically disadvantaged children from birth to age five, and is a collaborative effort of the Omaha Public Schools, the State of Nebraska and the Susan A. Buffett Foundation.

Each of the center’s fifteen classrooms is staffed with a BA-degreed early childhood teacher, an assistant teacher with an AA degree, and a paraprofessional. The center operates with a staff-to-child ratio of 1-to-3 for infants and toddlers and 1-to-6 for pre-school aged children. 

Beyond learning-based programs for young children, Educare reaches out to parents, especially new mothers, teens and those receiving public assistance. The center employs six family specialists to help strengthen the parent-child relationship, to aid the transition from welfare to work and to assist in overcoming threats to health and safety outside the center.

“The Educare center is a remarkable facility, providing constructive learning opportunities for children and critical support for parents and families. It was a pleasure to visit this state-of-the-art center, a phenomenal example of a successful public/private partnership in support of young children and their overall health and wellness. I look forward to sharing lessons learned back home in the Territory.”

The first lady also noted that the seminar was an important step towards developing a coordinated effort with other governors and their policy teams to address these critical issues, working collaboratively to ensure that all Virgin Islands children are equipped to lead healthy, productive lives.