WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — FirstSpark is focusing on being the lead agency for Ready Region Chesapeake Bay, established last year to coordinate programs and services for families and educators in the Northern Neck, as well as the Upper, Middle, and Lower Peninsula communities.
As Sojourner Stafford prepares for her daughter’s first birthday, she is also thinking about centers where she can learn.
“I’m really scared about it because you know, just being honest, you hear horror stories about daycares,” she said.
However, it’s not only some of the stories she’s heard. She said the price and quality of care is also a concern.
“Like, I want people that are actually experienced... to do things like this,” Stafford said.
Stafford said help from the organization FirstSpark, formerly known as Smart Beginnings Virginia Peninsula, is helping her and her family.
Diane Umstead, the executive director of the organization, said FirstSpark connects parents with those resources.
“Our focus has been on understanding the supply and demand for childcare,” she said.
Umstead said the organization has been building relationships across the area and strengthening the quality of childcare programs.
"We've been in approximately 700 classrooms doing assessments and coaching and feedback so that the teacher-child interactions are the best possible for every child."
Their efforts have led them to hold a symposium Wednesday morning bringing educators and stakeholders from the Upper, Middle, and Lower Peninsula and Northern Neck to address the challenges in those communities.
“Some of the challenges are just not enough spaces and what are the training opportunities," said FirstSpark Board Chair Jamilia Shipman. "What are the pay wages?”
Umstead said this symposium is about connecting these educators with each other and other community partners looking to invest in their programs.
“Look at the priorities and think through what does it take for a child in my neighborhood, in my town, in my community to thrive in those first five years of life,” she said.
Organizers also revealed its new name, FirstSpark, at the symposium. The FirstSpark brand announcement reflects the organization’s renewed sense of purpose as it prepares to dramatically scale its efforts across the expanded footprint.
The new FirstSpark moniker is intended to demonstrate the organization’s commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with educators and families by providing resources and building systems that ensure a better future for every child under five.