Invest in Children Annual Meeting
Most years since 1999 Invest in Children has held an Annual Meeting to bring together Cuyahoga County's rich panoply of early childhood stakeholders and organization who all share a common goal -- the enrichment and development of young children and their families. We share our results and feature a Keynote Presentation by a leader in early childhood development and service delivery. We provide a dedicated opportunity for early childhood professionals to come together, network, learn and just catch up!
2025
We held our 2025 Annual Meeting on May 8 at Stillwater Place at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. We were honored to have Susan Crowley from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University join us as the keynote speaker. Susan’s talk, “Putting Science into Action to Support Early Childhood Development and Health,” highlighted three science-based principles that help programs achieve greater impacts for families with young children, and showed examples of what it looks like to put those principles into action. You can view Susan's slides as well as some additional resources below:
- Serve and return key concepts and a 6 minute video on serve and return
- An infographic on executive functions and Executive Functions Activity Guide a 16 page guide with activities from infant to teens
- Toxic stress key concepts and a 3 minute video about stress and resilience
We also announced the Invest in Children Early Childhood Awards, with two individuals receiving the Early Childhood Champion Award and one agency receiving the Early Childhood Team Innovation Award:
Early Childhood Champion Award Winners:
- Tiffany Ashley, Merrick House: Tiffany Ashley is a dedicated and influential leader in the Cleveland community, with over 20 years of experience in youth development and family empowerment. She has had a positive impact on hundreds of families through her thoughtful guidance and innovative educational programming. Tiffany's commitment to community engagement and her passion for education have made her a highly respected figure in Cleveland's efforts to uplift and empower families.
- Dr. Robert Needlman, Professor of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine & Director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, MetroHealth: For over 26 years, Dr. Robert Needlman has been the driving force behind Reach Out and Read, bringing together early childhood educators, librarians, and medical professionals to address early childhood literacy through well-child visits. Under Dr. Needlman’s vision and leadership, the program has become the standard of care in well-child visits across Cuyahoga County, providing over 345,000 books to kids. Dr. Needlman is a well-recognized champion for childhood development and literacy in Cuyahoga County. He demonstrates excellence in his pediatric practice, his teaching, his research, and his community service, instilling a sense of hope for our children’s future one book at a time.
Early Childhood Team Innovation Award winners:
- Cuyahoga County Public Library Preschool Club: The Cuyahoga County Public Library Preschool Club is a 5-week club where families can connect with other families for fun and playful learning activities. All activities align with Ohio’s Early Childhood Content Standards and support both a joyful learning environment for little ones and a community of support for the adults in their lives. In 2024, the Cuyahoga County Public Library Preschool Club reached 80 children and 77 families at just two branches. CCPL will expand the popular program to an additional third branch in 2025.
