In This Issue:

Statewide Leaders Release the SC Early Common Agenda at State House
ICS Receives Grant
ICS hosts Working Group on Early Childhood Opportunities and Challenges in Rural South Carolina
ICS Welcomes First Fellow, Megan Golden and Policy Associate, Bryan Boroughs
Upcoming Events: Evidence-Based Programming and Policy for Early Literacy Success-An event featuring Jon Baron and ICS Annual Awards and Celebration

Dear Friends of ICS

Letter from ICS President

Dear Friends of ICS:

On January 22, three statewide organizations - the Institute for Child Success, United Way Association of South Carolina, and Children's Trust of South Carolina - released the 2014 South Carolina's Early Childhood Common Agenda during a press conference held in the State House lobby.

This common agenda represents real progress - not only from the standpoint of a bold statement in support of young children - but also for the innovation of the agenda itself. For the first time, major statewide and local organizations have come together to make a common statement to our elected leaders about why and how to invest in our future by investing in healthy, early childhood development.

ICS was pleased to be able to convene the initial meeting and working group that developed the agenda and we are very grateful to all of those who participated and contributed to this process. We also thank the many organizations across the state already endorsing this agenda. From Aiken to Georgetown, from Greenville to Charleston, and all points in between, this is truly a bold, statewide declaration that we must do more, we must do better, and we must move more swiftly to invest in our future by investing in the first five years of life.

You may view the South Carolina's Early Childhood Common Agenda by visiting:

http://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/mydocuments/2014_common_agenda_print.pdf

We look forward to working with you in 2014 and thank you for your continued dedication toward improving the wellbeing of our youngest citizens.

Sincerely,

Jamie Moon

ICS President

ICS Receives Grant from Margaret Linder Southern Endowment Fund

ICS was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the Margaret Linder Southern Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation of Greenville. We are extremely grateful for this grant which was provided in support of institutional sustainability. Below is a link to the article appearing in The Greenville News.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20140130/NEWS/301300039/Former-schoolteacher-s-modest-life-results-8-4-million-gift

Statewide leaders release the SC Early Common Agenda during the United Way Public Policy Day at the State House in Columbia

Jamie Moon speaks during the release of the Common Agenda. Other speakers included Kim Wellman, Board Chair, Children's Trust of SC, Charles Patrick, Chair, Board of Directors, Trident United Way and Tim Ervolina, President, United Way Association of South Carolina.

Three statewide organizations - The Institute for Child Success, United Way Association of South Carolina and Children's Trust of South Carolina - presented the first comprehensive early childhood education policy recommendations with the publication of the 2014 South Carolina's Early Common Agenda.

At a press conference at the State House, child advocates from all over South Carolina gathered to support common goals for our youngest children and for smart early childhood policy. The intent of the document is to guide our policymakers as they make decisions impacting children, families and the future of South Carolina.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/mydocuments/2014_common_agenda_print.pdf

ICS hosts Working Group on Early Childhood Opportunities and Challenges in Rural South Carolina

The Institute for Child Success believes that convening is a critical tool for sharing knowledge, embracing solutions, and accelerating impact for young children and their families. United with our partners, stakeholders, experts, and practitioners, we believe that coming together to share knowledge and solve problems is a valuable enterprise and a core component of the work that we do.

Embracing the power of convening, we are inviting leaders from across South Carolina to join a working group focused on addressing the unique challenges that rural communities face in ensuring the success of very young children and their families. Building upon the successful symposium that ICS co-hosted with the School of Education at Francis Marion University and the Gail and Terry Richardson Center for the Child in October 2013, we believe that this working group, and the final report that will be produced from it, will accelerate positive impact through the:

Development of new knowledge
Catalyst of new partnerships and networks, and
Proposal of new solutions and policies to positively transform outcomes for young children and their families living in rural communities

If you are interested in finding out more, please email Joe Waters, jwaters@instituteforchildsuccess.org.

ICS Welcomes First Fellow, Megan Golden

Megan Golden is a familiar face to those who have worked with us in the last year. We are pleased to welcome her formally as a our first nonresident Fellow. Megan Golden is currently a Fellow at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service's Innovation Labs, where she studies innovative financing mechanisms for cost-effective social programs. She also works as a consultant, helping government and nonprofit organizations increase their impact. From 1999-2011, Megan was the Director of Planning and Government Innovation at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she worked in partnership with government to implement innovations in criminal justice, juvenile justice, child welfare, school safety, mental health, and eldercare. In addition to creating and launching eight innovative programs, she led a major reform of New Orleans's criminal justice system and helped Chinese academics and officials pilot criminal justice reforms. In addition to her work at Vera, Megan directed the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service from 2006 - 2009. Megan practiced law from 1992-1994 as a Skadden Fellow at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. In 1994, she was awarded a White House Fellowship. Megan began her career working for New York City government as an Urban Fellow. She has a BA in political science from Brown University and a JD magna cum laude from the New York University School of Law.

ICS Welcomes Bryan Boroughs

Bryan Boroughs joined ICS this month as a contract policy associate. He was born in Tennessee and moved to South Carolina to attend Furman University where he graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology. He later obtained a JD and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Until December 2013, Bryan served for two years as an investigative counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He also helped start a national non-profit advocacy organization, Young Invincibles, focused on expanding economic opportunity and sound public policies for young adults. Prior to law school, Bryan worked for several youth-serving organizations including the MountainView Whisman Elementary School District, the Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County, and Mental Health America of Greenville County. He currently serves on the board of Increasing HOPE, a Community Development Center in Charleston.

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