Annemarie Valdez: 2022 Children’s Funding Champion Annemarie Valdez has been a champion for children and youth for more than two decades. Her experience includes leading a statewide infant mortality prevention organization in Illinois; serving as CEO of Child’s Hope, a Michigan nonprofit committed to preventing child abuse and neglect; and heading Detroit’s Youth Development Commission. Since 2015, Valdez has led First Steps Kent, a nonprofit organization that administers Kent County, MI’s, Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage, which provides dedicated funding for a wide range of early childhood programs in the county. As the president and CEO of First Steps Kent, Valdez oversaw a campaign to establish a voter-approved children’s fund that raises more than $5 million annually for programs that improve the health, school readiness, and well-being of children under age five in Kent County. In 2022, the Grand Rapids Business Journal recognized her as one of the top 200 most powerful business leaders in West Michigan.For these reasons and more, we are thrilled to name Valdez our 2022 Children’s Funding Champion. Filed under:Infants and Toddlers, Early Childhood, Advocates/Intermediaries, Funders, Policymakers/Agency Leaders, Video, Voter-Approved Children’s Funds Filed under:Infants and Toddlers, Early Childhood, Advocates/Intermediaries, Funders, Policymakers/Agency Leaders, Video, Voter-Approved Children’s Funds More Resources Publication Tracking the Flow of Federal Funding for Children and Youth An interactive chart that illustrates how federal funds flow through agencies and into communities Database Federal Funding Streams for Children and Youth Services This database catalogs the purposes and key characteristics of more than 320 federal funding streams that support cradle-to-career initiatives. Updates and Events Success Story June 26, 2024 Increasing Wages for Community-Based Teachers Becomes a Key Element of Boston’s Universal Pre-K Funding Formula Guest Blog May 29, 2024 How Allegheny County, PA, Coordinates Programs and Funding to Better Serve Infants and Toddlers News May 15, 2024 Visit to Denver Preschool Program Energizes Existing and Future Leaders of Voter-Approved Children’s Funds Close Share it! Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Click to copy URL Link Copied!
Publication Tracking the Flow of Federal Funding for Children and Youth An interactive chart that illustrates how federal funds flow through agencies and into communities
Database Federal Funding Streams for Children and Youth Services This database catalogs the purposes and key characteristics of more than 320 federal funding streams that support cradle-to-career initiatives.
Success Story June 26, 2024 Increasing Wages for Community-Based Teachers Becomes a Key Element of Boston’s Universal Pre-K Funding Formula
Guest Blog May 29, 2024 How Allegheny County, PA, Coordinates Programs and Funding to Better Serve Infants and Toddlers
News May 15, 2024 Visit to Denver Preschool Program Energizes Existing and Future Leaders of Voter-Approved Children’s Funds