The Advocate article on our May 7, 2013 DSS

Great Distinguished Speaker Series session last night!

Distinguished speaker Sonayia Shepherd, Ph.D. from Safe Havens International presented information in a dynamic presentation full of real scenarios in early childhood environments. Engaging the audience, she discussed everyday situations in schools, child care centers, and other  childhood environments and how to make them safer. She gave the audience tools to evaluate their current building and procedures and explained what they can do more effectively.

Check out the article printed in today's The Advocate.

The Advocate article

For more resources, visit Safe Havens International's website here.

Safe Children. Safe Classrooms. Safe Schools. Making Safety a Priority in Early Childhood Environments

 

BATON ROUGE – Academic Distinction Fund (ADF) will hold its second lecture of the 2013 Distinguished Speaker Series with a free community event on school safety in early childhood education. The educational program is scheduled on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the Holiday Inn South, 9940 Airline Highway, in Baton Rouge. The program is entitled “Safe Children. Safe Classrooms. Safe Schools. – Making Safety a Priority in Early Childhood Environments.”  

Because of high interest in the topic of school safety, ADF is asking that participants pre-register early.

ADF distinguished speaker Sonayia Shepherd, Ph.D., keynote speaker for Safe Havens International and international safety expert, has authored and co-authored sixteen books on school safety and emergency management. With an extensive background, including serving as a full time school safety practitioner in the nation’s largest state government school safety center, Sony has worked directly with hundreds of public and private schools across the nation and has provided crisis response and recovery support following many school crisis situations and major disasters around the world, including Hurricane Katrina, Tsunami in Indonesia, Haiti, and outbreaks in Africa and Asia. Sony has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, FOX, and 20/20. Graduating from high school at the age of 16, she has earned her graduate degree in Clinical Psychology and earned her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Spanish from Phillips University. She also has a Ph.D. in Public Administration & Emergency Response Policy.

Safe Havens International is the world’s leading safety center, focused on helping schools improve safety and emergency preparedness.  Their experts on school safety have worked in over 24 countries and bring unparalleled experience to schools, while passionately emphasizing a community-based approach to school safety.  They are the forefront in the latest school safety trends and knowing what works.

As in all Distinguished Speaker Series events, there will be a time following Shepherd’s presentation for questions from the audience and discussion of local practices and suggestions with the speaker.

ADF is a major collaborator among schools, businesses, and the community and acts as a catalyst for private sector leadership in advancing public education in East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS).

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series offers research-based presentations by early childhood experts, providing critical information on the latest early childhood development research and best practices.  The first of its kind in East Baton Rouge Parish, the Series addresses what it takes for children to be successful in kindergarten and first grade, regardless of their socio-economic and racial backgrounds.  The Series is directed to education stakeholders, non-profit organizations, public officials, East Baton Rouge Parish teachers, pre-K providers and administrators, parents and families, and corporate leaders, who ultimately impact all young children in Louisiana.

Funding for ADF Distinguished Speaker Series comes from ADF and ExxonMobil. Additional sponsors include Louisiana Public Facilities Authority and Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge Foundation. Planning partners include East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, School Aids, Family Behavioral Health Center, Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Department of Education, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, and Dean Laura Lindsay of the LSU College of Human Sciences and Education, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and the EBRPSS Title I Parental Involvement Office.

The program is free and open to the public. Check-in is from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. and the presentation is from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Pre-registration is highly recommended. Please email info@adfbr.org or call 922-4560 for more information.

Click here to register.

Early Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana

“Louisiana's Risky Business: Young Children in a Time of Budget Cuts”

Authors of “Early Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana” Kick Off

2013 Academic Distinction Fund Distinguished Speaker Series

Free Community Presentation on Wednesday, February 20

BATON ROUGE – Academic Distinction Fund (ADF) will kick off its popular Distinguished Speaker Series with its first community event of 2013 on the economic, health, and education risks affecting young children in Louisiana. The free educational program is scheduled on Wednesday, February 20, 2013, at Boudreaux’s, 2647 Government Street in Baton Rouge. The program is entitled “Louisiana's Risky Business: Young Children in a Time of Budget Cuts?”

In his report titled “Early Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana,” ADF distinguished speaker Geoff Nagle, Ph.D., MPH, LCSW, outlines eleven contributors to early childhood success, identifies the percentage of children affected by economic, health, and education risks in each of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, and analyzes by parish ten programs that are already in place to address these risks. 

The Distinguished Speaker Series event will include a question and answer time for the community to discuss how existing programs can be recalibrated to meet particular needs and suggest new ideas for early childhood risk mitigation. 

 The report is an instrument for policy and funding decisions that impact areas and programs in which Louisiana invests.  It is a timely publication due to major decisions and the overhaul taking place in upcoming months in Louisiana’s early childhood education system.   

Nagle is associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Tulane University School of Medicine, the director of the Tulane University Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, and the state director of BrightStart, Louisiana’s Early Childhood Advisory Council.  He has worked closely with government officials. His involvement helped to initiate Quality Start, Louisiana’s child care quality rating system.

Also presenting is guest speaker and co-author of the report Kirby Goidel, Ph.D. Goidel is the Scripps Howard Professor of Mass Communication and professor of Political Science at Louisiana State University, and director of the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU Manship School of Mass Communication.

To read their report, click here: Early Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana

ADF is a major collaborator among schools, businesses, and the community and acts as a catalyst for private sector leadership in advancing public education in East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS).

The ADF Distinguished Speaker Series offers research-based presentations by early childhood experts, providing critical information on the latest early childhood development research and best practices.  The first of its kind in East Baton Rouge Parish, the Series addresses what it takes for children to be successful in kindergarten and first grade, regardless of their socio-economic and racial backgrounds.  The Series is directed to education stakeholders, non-profit organizations, public officials, East Baton Rouge Parish teachers, pre-K providers and administrators, parents and families, and corporate leaders, who ultimately impact all young children in Louisiana.

Funding for ADF Distinguished Speaker Series comes from ADF and ExxonMobil. Additional sponsors include Louisiana Public Facilities Authority and Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge Foundation. Planning partners include East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, School Aids, Family Behavioral Health Center, Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Department of Education, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, and Dean Laura Lindsay of the LSU College of Human Sciences and Education, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and the EBRPSS Title I Parental Involvement Office.

The program is free and open to the public. Check-in is from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. and the presentation is from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Pre-registration is recommended. Please email info@adfbr.org or call 922-4560 to register for the free

2012 Distinguished Speaker Series Program Report

Here is a summary and evaluation (from a third-party evaluator, SSA Consultants) of our Distinguished Speaker Series in 2012.  Check it out!

Check out the January issue of Parent Power, a newsletter created for the parents and care-givers of EBR students, published by East Baton Rouge School System.

Parent Power January 2013