CLASP'S Breaking Down Barriers National Summit was a success!

On December 4 and 5th, 75 policymakers, advocates, and researchers convened in Chicago, Illinois for CLASP's Breaking Down Barriers National Summit on Improving Access to Early Care and Education for Immigrant Families. With funding from the Joyce Foundation and the McCormick Tribune Foundation, CLASP brought together this diverse group of actors to explore how state policies can support immigrant families and to strategize policy solutions to improve access to high-quality early care and education for immigrant families.

Collectively, summit participants represented 24 states and included representatives from 14 state child care and early education agencies, national policy and advocacy organizations, and state and local immigrant serving organizations representing diverse communities. State agencies represented included State Departments of Education, Departments of Human Services, Public Welfare, Children and Youth Services, and Offices of Child Care and Early Education. Many summit participants commented on the value of participating in a meeting with a diverse group of actors and the rare opportunity that it created to forge new partnerships and learn from each other.

The opening panel set the stage for the summit through presentations by a number of speakers highlighting the importance of coming together around the issue of access to early care and education for immigrant families. Read more about the meeting and view materials.