Our Work

The Early Learning Nation (ELN) Collective is a dynamic, nationwide network building an early learning movement.

The ELN Collective recognizes the need for building coordinated, supportive systems in the early childhood sphere informed by parents, service providers, and other local leaders to meet the needs of their communities.

The ELN Collective is composed of seven national organization partners, who are listening to and working with local leaders, including parents, who are committed to ensuring all young children and their families have equitable access to the care, education, and support they need to thrive in their communities.

How We Do It

Our Approach

The ELN Collective fosters and supports local decision-making toward solutions for the health, school readiness, and well-being of young children prenatal through age 8. Local leaders are at the forefront, guiding the national partners who work alongside them.

We support a network of Early Learning Communities (ELCs) that work to achieve equitable results for children and their families, building their strategies according to local needs, resources, and priorities. Our shared focus is always on equity, family partnerships, and improved outcomes for children.

Our collaboration supports local decision-making for the creation of solutions that are best for children and families in the communities where they live. Learn more at the ELN Collective website.

Resources

Additional Resources

Early Learning Nation Collective Outcomes

The ELN Collective launched in 2024. The ELN Collective will deliver concentrated support initially for 50+ communities within 15 priority states in four regions of the country where the national partner organizations have the strongest existing relationships, significant overlap in geographic footprint, and the highest potential for greater alignment and synergy. 

While anchored in these places during this launch phase, the ELN Collective has resources and opportunities available outside of the priority states. 

The ELN Collective hopes to:

  • Reach at least 500 local leaders in building an early learning movement and improving early childhood experiences across the nation.
  • Provide support for Early Learning Communities working to bolster the four building blocks
  • Coordinate and scale support for local leaders and early childhood system stakeholders across its dynamic network.

We look forward to sharing results based on these metrics after the initiative has had some time to spread and scale, and we have collected and analyzed sufficient data.

The vision of an ELC is one where all young children get a great start, setting the foundation for lifelong success and well-being. ELCs are defined as communities aligning their efforts towards three broad sets of outcomes for young children and their families related to early development:

  • All new and expectant parents and young children are healthy.
  • All children are ready to thrive in school.
  • All children live in strong, positive, and nurturing families and communities.

The Early Learning Community Action Guide and Assessment Tool is built around the four building blocks that make up an Early Learning Community. These are four broad areas that communities can focus on in order to improve how families with young children are supported to promote early learning and healthy development. Identified by local leaders working to transform their own communities, the four building blocks are:

  1. Community leadership, commitment, and public will to make early childhood a priority;
  2. Quality services that work for all young children and their families;
  3. Neighborhoods where families can thrive; and
  4. Policies that support and are responsive to families.

A set of three core values inform how leaders understand the needs in the community, prioritize the actions they want to take, and provide resources to accomplish the goals of an ELC:

  • Equity: Are we taking steps that will transform our systems to promote thriving and eliminate disparities in outcomes related to health, school readiness, and well-being? 
  • Parent Voice: Are parents and caregivers at the table, helping to shape the agenda, supported as leaders and partners, and being heard about what will work best for their families and communities throughout the entire process? 
  • Accountability: Are we tracking our efforts and impact in meaningful ways, and adjusting our work based on what we learn to ensure that we are making a difference? 

The Early Learning Community Action Guide and Assessment Tool is designed to support local leaders—from mayors and executive directors to parents and service providers—through a process of assessing how well their community is currently supporting early learning, and developing an action plan to make improvements in one or more of the building block areas. 

Interested in helping your community become an Early Learning Community? 

If you have other questions, complete the “Get Involved” form in the ELN Collective site.

For more information and resources from the ELN Collective visit our Resource Library.

 

The Team

Our Experts

  • Esther Hernández

    Senior Program Analyst