CARES for Learning

SEEDS has big news!

We are excited to announce the launch of our new national literacy-focused nonprofit, CARES for Learning! SEEDS of Learning is growing and evolving. Our programs are now in twelve states, reaching over 11,000 children a year. Cultivating and sustaining this growth requires building a solid non-profit infrastructure.  SEEDS of Learning will continue to grow materials and products, while CARES for Learning will be the sole professional development provider for the SEEDS relationship-based training and coaching model. 

The SEEDS of Learning professional development services has transitioned to CARES for Learning,  under the leadership of SEEDS creator, Kate Horst, as the Executive Director,  Dana Cilono, as the National Director and Lead in the Oakland Hub and an amazing team of trainers, coaches and operation experts.

 We are excited to sow more seeds through CARES.

At CARES for Learning, we believe that every adult can be confident and capable in their interactions with children. We see quality connections as the foundation for growth and development. It is through balanced interactions that we accelerate development, foster positive mindsets, and strengthen communities. The skill development cycle and quality interactions that made SEEDS of Learning so impactful are the foundation for CARES for Learning.

Our mission is to ensure every child can read fluently by third grade with mastery in the proven five essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. CARES will reduce education disparities through evidence-based professional development founded on reading science and paired with the quality interactions needed to bring the science of reading into daily routines.

While CARES for Learning is a new organization, the people involved in it have had a long-standing relationship with current SEEDS partners. The new nonprofit is a testament to our work with you, our partners. We are especially grateful for the support of The Kenneth Rainin Foundation in Oakland, California, for kickstarting the transition to CARES.

In this time of COVID-19, our team has engaged in a listening campaign to continue to be a support to you.

Some ways that CARES is already making a meaningful difference:

• The SEEDS Train the Trainer sessions became virtual while maintaining the skill development cycle of knowledge, model, practice, and feedback. We welcomed 36 new 3-5 Trainers and 40 new SEEDS of Parent Trainers into the family since May 2020.
• We implemented a SEEDS Virtual Training framework for national trainers to use with their teachers, tutors, and families. 
• We created and shipped over 600 school kits for kids and families to use at home.
• We secured funding to provide technology tools to families in our Oakland Hub.
• A new website was created to give partners and families easier access to SEEDS of Learning materials and CARES programming.
• We provided Virtual Training to assist Miami Head Start in kicking off their Pre-Service Virtual Trainings for roughly 700 Infant-Toddler and PreK Teachers.
• We trained tutors and teachers to virtually collect early literacy predictive data on children in our Oakland Hub.
• We partnered with First 5 Santa Clara County to develop asynchronous modules for the 3-5, Family ChildCare, and Parenting Programs. (Due October 2020)!
• We provided guidance and resources for SEEDS Coaching in the virtual environment with a lens on how to coach and support families through virtual relationship-based interactions.

 

For further questions, please contact Kate Horst at kateh@caresforlearning.org