Mike Browne (he/him) is The Brotha Who Expands Our Reach at BlackECE.

Our session at the First 5 CA Summit, Reimagining Workforce Stability and Family Engagement: The Ancestral Coaching Model as a Catalyst for Universal, High-Quality Child Care, brought together attendees for a conversation about what it takes to build a thriving early learning workforce.

Last night's Welcome Reception was everything. 🥂 BlackECE was proud to co-host the kickoff to the 2026 First 5 California Summit alongside Zero to Three. The room was full of good conversation, good energy, and a whole lot of community. If you were there, you already know.

Come see us! On Monday, August 31st, our team is leading a session at the First 5 California Summit: Reimagining Workforce Stability and Family Engagement: The Ancestral Coaching Model as a Catalyst for Universal, High-Quality Child Care.

Coming to the First 5 CA Summit? Come sit with us! Our team is leading a session on the Ancestral Coaching Model, a coaching approach that centers identity, emotional safety, and belonging for early educators. It's about building trust, not just building systems.

Catch BlackECE at the 2026 First 5 California Summit: Their Futures First next week! BlackECE will be hosting the Welcome Reception on Sunday, August 30th at 6:00 PM.

✨ The Unsung Heroes of Child Care: Black child care providers are some of the most dedicated individuals, yet they continue to be undervalued in society. From teaching cultural heritage to fostering academic success, these providers are shaping the future of America, one child at a time.

Wow. Power gems. Hard truths. A drum line nobody saw coming. Two days, one community, a whole lot of Black joy. If you weren't there, you missed something special. Stay tuned to see all the happenings from our 3rd Annual BlackECE Symposium. #WeAreTheReturn #BlackECESymposium

Thank you to all of our sponsors! The BlackECE Symposium wouldn't be what it is today without your support. Interested in sponsoring next year's symposium? Or even placing an ad in our beautiful journal programs? Visit www.blackecesymposium.org/sponsor to inquire. #WeAreTheReturn #BlackECESymposium

What a day it was. Yesterday we filled a room with power gems, hard truths, and so much Black joy. Two Chop It Up sessions. A keynote from Michael Harriot that had everyone taking notes. A surprise drum line that brought us all to our feet.

Last call!🚨 Registration for the BlackECE Symposium closes TOMORROW, and we are not responsible for the FOMO you will feel on August 6th when everyone is in Sacramento without you. We Are the Return, and the return is almost here. Get your seat!

Last Saturday, we launched our first cohort of Ancestral Coaching Model™ coaches, who gathered at Head Start in East Oakland for their training.

In one hour, we're gathering to talk about something long overdue. Black women were the original caregivers and early educators in America — through centuries of chattel slavery, they nurtured and taught children while fighting for their own survival.

Before there was an early childhood education system, there were Black women. Enslaved. Uncompensated. Separated from their own children. Forced to pour their care, their milk, their songs, and their tenderness into households that did not belong to them.

Black women are the original early educators of America. They cared for children through slavery, through Jim Crow, through every era of exclusion — and they were still left out of California's Reparations Task Force Report. We're changing that conversation. Join us. 🖤✊🏾

Comment 'KICKBACK' to register! Before the second day of the Symposium begins, we gather. Rhythm & Harmony is a Black-centered evening Kickback honoring the relationships, collaborations, and collective vision that make this work possible.

Three years ago, we made a promise to show up for Black children, Black families, and Black early childhood professionals — not just in our communities, but in the halls where policy is made. On April 29th, we kept that promise again.

Black women have always been the first teachers. Long before early childhood education had a name, they were nurturing, protecting, and educating children, even while in bondage. Now, it's time for that legacy to be recognized and repaired.

We were at the Capitol yesterday. And we had something to say. BlackECE's annual Staff Advocacy Day brought us directly to California's legislative offices to advance our 2026 Policy Agenda. Two priorities that are non-negotiable for us:

💵Millions of California kids have CalKIDS accounts, with $2B+ already saved. But most haven’t been claimed! Learn more about this early wealth-building program and how families can access it in Bringing Up California’s new webinar: 👶 From Cradle to College 📅 April 14, 2026 🕓 12PM PT

We said We Are the Return — and we meant it. We are BEYOND thrilled to announce @michaelharriot as a speaker at the 2026 BlackECE Symposium: We Are the Return.

Join Us at the Black Literacy Matters Conference 2026! BlackECE is excited to be presenting at the Boots on the Ground: Black Literacy Matters Conference, taking place March 11–14, 2026, at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.

The new knowledge brief series, The Brilliance and Importance of Affirming Black (English) Language in Early Childhood Education, by BlackECE, Californians Together, Catalyst California, and Early Edge California launches with its first volume: Why Black Language Matters.

Registration is now OPEN! Registration is now open for the 2026 BlackECE Symposium: We are the Return, happening August 6th - 7th. In honor of Black History Month, we’re offering special registration perks to our community:

BlackECE responds to the Governor’s proposed budget. While we acknowledge critical investments, this proposal fails to meaningfully support Black children, Black families, and Black child care providers. Justice requires more than omissions—it requires action. Read our full response.

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called us to imagine a world where justice is not abstract, but lived—where systems are built to protect the dignity of all people. His work reminds us that justice must be intentional, collective, and rooted in care.

✨ Welcome to the Team, Dubrea Sanders! ✨

When do you stop saying Happy New Year?! Our latest newsletter just released! We're looking back and looking ahead to the new year and what 2026 will bring to us. Read all about it here 👉🏿 mailchi.mp/blackece/hap...

Child care is essential infrastructure. It makes every other job possible. But families face skyrocketing costs, and educators—mostly women and disproportionately women of color—are paid poverty-level wages.

Child care costs are skyrocketing, leaving families—especially mothers and working-class parents—with impossible choices. Accessible and affordable child care should be a right, not a luxury. That’s why we’re on Capitol Hill today to remind lawmakers: child care is essential infrastructure.