Early Care & Learning Council

Take a moment to share your thoughts with our partners at Hunger Solutions New York.

📝⤵️ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYG2HAshKDQGewEt2D69fc1yBnB9Oan07NqZu5yt2uk516ZA/viewform

You can help shape our 2027 anti-hunger policy priorities.

Thanks to your partnership and engagement, New York has made significant investments in anti-hunger programs over the past few years. But federal cuts to SNAP are already harming New Yorkers struggling to put food on the table and will continue to increase food insecurity.

Share your thoughts on how we can work together to ensure our state protects food access for all New Yorkers.

➡️Visit the link in the comments to take our survey and please share with your community.

ECLC's Director of Child Care Supply, Andria Ryberg, presented at the National Association for Family Child Care conference.

This space offered an opportunity to share expertise, contribute to national conversations, and connect with professionals dedicated to strengthening child care.

Looking for your next opportunity? Early Care & Learning Council is currently hiring a Membership and Events Specialist.

Learn more and apply today at: https://earlycareandlearning.org/job-opportunities/

The School Mental Health Resource and Training (SMHRT) Center is dedicated to ensuring that conversations about mental wellness take place throughout the year and aim to provide families with the tools to have critical conversations with their children about mental wellbeing.

Each year, the SMHRT Center hosts a Summer Movie Weekend, during which a movie about mental health is made available to families for free. All who register also receive a discussion guide based on issues raised in the movie, to help them talk about mental health with the children in their lives.

This year’s Summer Movie is IF (2024), which tells the story of a young girl who goes through a difficult experience and begins to see everyone's imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up. View trailer here: https://youtu.be/mb2187ZQtBE?si=JK8CqnWuX0eWRHTy

This year, the SMHRT Center is offering the Summer Movie for a week (July 17-24) and making it available to summer schools, camps, libraries and any institution working with children. Click here to register and if you are interested in showing the movie in your Summer program, email [email protected]. Register here: https://www.mentalhealthednys.org/events

The Hummingbird Award, inspired by the Indigenous folktale of the hummingbird and the forest fire, honors those whose quiet acts of care create lasting impact across our field.

This year, we proudly recognized two outstanding awardees: Jami Flynn and Traci Decker.

Jami Flynn was recognized for her dedication, compassion, and unwavering support of providers and staff. Colleagues shared how Jami goes beyond identifying challenges by offering hands-on support, resources, encouragement, and guidance that help others grow and succeed. Her positivity, flexibility, and genuine care truly reflect the spirit of the Hummingbird Award.

Traci Decker was honored for the steady, strengths-based support she brings to children, caregivers, educators, and programs through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. Known as a calming and trusted presence, Traci leads with empathy, encouragement, and deep commitment to the communities she serves.

We also celebrate this year’s nominees:
Kathleen Harland
Morgan Knapp
Tara Mullen
Sheila Tumiel
Lillieth Zuckerman

Thank you all for the heart, dedication, and care you bring to this work every day.

As spring comes to an end and we enter summer, the Early Care & Learning Council would like to congratulate two of our team members on their recognitions.

Our Senior Director of Policy and Community Education, Jess Klos Shapiro, was recognized in City & State’s Above & Beyond: Women list. This well-deserved honor reflects Jess’s leadership, dedication, and commitment to advancing policies and initiatives that strengthen opportunities for children, families, and communities across New York.

Our ECE Workforce Supports Associate, Niyah Booker, was recognized in City & States 40 Under 40 list. This honor reflects her dedication and commitment to strengthening New York's early childhood education workforce.

We are grateful for their continued impact and proud to celebrate these achievements.

On Juneteenth, we celebrate freedom, honor the strength and perseverance of Black Americans, and reflect on the ongoing pursuit of equity and justice.

At ECLC we recognize that creating a brighter future begins with ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive. Learn more about Juneteenth and the history behind this day: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth

Thank you to everyone who joined ECLC for our 2026 Annual Meeting on June 10th to celebrate the dedication and impact of the CCRC network across New York State. A special thank you to our sponsors Digital XPress, Gardner Media, and Kaplan for their generous support.

We were proud to recognize retirees Bruce Stewart and Dee Burlingame for their combined 58 years of service at St. Lawrence Child Care Council, and Richelle Singer of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County for her service on the ECLC Board of Directors.

Congratulations again to our award winners: Sarah G. Merrick, Commissioner of Economic Security for the Onondaga County Department of Social Services, recipient of the Excellence in Government Award, and Julie Champion, Executive Director of Child & Family Resources Inc., recipient of the Child Care Resource Leadership Award.

Thank you for making this year's Annual Meeting a success! We look forward to another great year of collaboration and innovation to continue strengthening child care across New York State.

We are still sorting through all of the incredible photos from the Annual Meeting yesterday, and we cannot wait to share more highlights from the day!

In the meantime, ECLC would like to congratulate the recipients of two distinguished awards recognizing exceptional leadership and service:

Julie Champion, Executive Director of Child & Family Resources, Inc., was awarded the Child Care Resource Center Leadership Award for her outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to strengthening child care, families, and providers across the state.

The Excellence in Government Award was presented to Sarah G. Merrick, Commissioner of Economic Security for the Onondaga County Department of Social Services, for her service and commitment to advancing policies and programs that improve outcomes for young children, and strengthening the systems that help support children and their caregivers.

Congratulations!

ECLC's Infant & Toddler Coordinator, Rachel Roberts, presented a special recognition to Sara Allen Taylor, Child Care Services Project Director at the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country.

Sara, who works as both a Project Director and an Infant Toddler Specialist, was awarded the 2026 Emily Fenichel Award on behalf of New York Zero-to-Three (NYZTT) in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the field of infant and toddler services. Congratulations!