Moving forward to co-develop solutions wasn’t always easy, partners admit, but they knew they had a responsibility to work together for children in the city.
“At this point, we can’t unsee the data,” says Erika Burkhardt, assistant superintendent for Early Childhood Services at the Calhoun Intermediate School District (CISD). “Once we dug into the data and saw the problems and needs that exist, we built relationships and trust with each other in order to move forward.”
Tough conversations led to revelations.
“We realized the right people weren’t always at the table,” says Kathleen Moore, executive director of Battle Creek Shared Services Alliance. “Making sure we have the right folks from the community – not just speaking for the community – enabled us to affect change.”
Bringing new people to the table required partners to be flexible and willing to change as they learned more.
“We adjusted our practices to meet the needs not only of the children but to be more productive for ourselves,” Youngblood says. “That’s a trust factor. We can do what we need to do in a more streamlined fashion.”
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