Since 2019, People's Emergency Center has organized the BELL Summit to raise awareness of the educational and socio-emotional needs of young children experiencing homelessness, not just in Philadelphia, but across the nation.
Past Summits have highlighted promising practices and models, set baseline participation rates of homeless children enrolling into high quality early learning, and gave a platform for system leaders to share their comments on how to improve access for our children.
This year's virtual summit will take place on November 29th at 11am.
We are very excited to let you know that Dr. Iheoma Iruka has agreed to be our keynote speaker. Dr. Iruka is the Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition, based at North Carolina University. Learn more about Dr. Iruka here. A Temple University graduate, Dr. Iruka is very interested in discussing projects and initiatives focused on how evidence-informed policies, systems, and practices in early education can support the optimal development and experiences of children from low-income and ethnic minority households.
A panel discussion with follow featuring national, state, and local leadership. One of the panelists will be Barbara Poppe, former Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Ms. Poppe works to develop the capacity of communities and organizations to tackle complex issues through collaboration and a systems approach that achieves results and community impact.
Register here.
