2022 Birth to 12th Grade Water Cooler Conference
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You're Invited
Building a System of Belonging and Community Power: Transformation Rooted in Racial Equity
Join us virtually on November 1st and 2nd from 1 – 4 pm to come together with other advocates, community leaders, students, and policymakers impacting early childhood and K-12 education. Over two action-packed days, we will explore how we center equity and community voice in policy and budget investments that result in a transformative and racially just birth to 12th-grade system for California’s children and families.
Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, November 1st
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm Welcome & Opening Keynote
- John Kim, President & CEO, Catalyst California
- Vickie Ramos Harris, Director of Educational Equity, Catalyst California
1:15 pm – 1:35 pm A Budget Landscape for the Birth to 12th Grade System
- Christian Griffith, Chief Consultant, California State Assembly Budget Committee
1:35 pm – 2:35 pm The State of Education: Where are we now?
- Moderator: Vickie Ramos Harris
- Max Arias, Executive Director, SEIU Local 99
- Linda Asato, Executive Director, California Child Care Resource & Referral Network
- Toby Boyd, President, California Teachers Association
- Najla Gomez Rodriguez, Capacity Building Director, Californians For Justice
- Edgar Zazueta, Executive Director, Association of California School Administrators
2:35 pm – 2:45 pm Reflections on the B-12 Landscape
- Sarah Neville-Morgan, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education
2:45 pm – 3:40 pm Student, Family, and Community-Led Healing and Thriving
- Moderator: Elena Fernandez, Chief Program Officer, St. John’s Well Child & Family Clinic
- Liza Bray, Executive Director, Partners for Children South LA
- Alma Cervantes, Regional Education Equity Director, Building Healthy Communities-Monterey County
- Kamal Kaur, Center Director, Just Plane Kids
- Jessica Ramos, Student, UC Berkeley
3:40 pm – 3:55 pm Closing Keynote
- Kim Johnson, Director, California Department of Social Services
3:55 pm – 4:00 pm Closing Remarks and Next Steps
- Manuel Fierro, Associate Director of Early Childhood Policy, Catalyst California
Day 2: Wednesday, November 2nd
1:00 pm – 1:05 pm Welcoming Remarks
- Day Son, Senior Manager of Educational Equity, Catalyst California
1:05 pm – 1:10 pm Opening Reflections
- Dr. Lupe Jaime-Mileham, Deputy Director, Child Care and Development Division, California Department of Social Services
1:10 pm – 2:10 pm Designing Quality Whole Child Systems Rooted in Equity and Community Power
- Moderator: Brenda Aguilera, Director of Community Transformation, Para Los Niños
- Mayra Alvarez, President, The Children’s Partnership
- Keisha Nzewi, Co-Founder, Black Californians Unified for ECE
- Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, Executive Director, First 5 California
- Noemi Valdes, Director of Early Childhood Education, Oxnard School District
2:10 pm – 2:45 pm Featured Keynote: A Vision of Rebuilding a Racially Just, Equitable World
- Moderator: Kirsten Roman, Youth Leader Alumna, InnerCity Struggle
- Nic Stone, Author, Dear Martin
2:45 pm – 3:40 pm Centering Equity in K-12 Systems
- Moderator: Dr. Anya Hurwitz, Executive Director, Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL)
- Miguel Dominguez, Director of Youth and Education Policy, Community Coalition
- Dr. Jesse Levin, Principal Research Economist, American Institutes for Research
- Michael McCormick, Superintendent, Val Verde Unified School District
- Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber, California State Assembly District 79
3:40 pm – 3:55 pm Closing Keynote
- Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, State Board President, California State Board of Education
3:55 pm – 4:00 pm Closing Remarks, Evaluation, and Next Steps
- Jessenia Reyes, Associate Director of K-12 Policy, Catalyst California
Meet Our Keynote Speakers
![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.prismic.io%2Fcatalyst-ca%2F38ddaccf-fe2c-44b2-92e7-3dc19994d1a0_WCC%2B2022%2BPICS%2Bfor%2BPanelists%2B%252840%2529.png%3Fauto%3Dcompress%2Cformat&w=3840&q=75)
Kim Johnson
Director of the California Department of Social Services
Learn more about Kim Johnson
![linda darling hammond](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.prismic.io%2Fcatalyst-ca%2F24cb23f3-6cf8-4de4-89fe-ec5a30ff49c4_Screen%2BShot%2B2022-10-26%2Bat%2B3.10.01%2BPM.png%3Fauto%3Dcompress%2Cformat%26rect%3D156%2C0%2C1100%2C906%26w%3D1100%26h%3D906&w=3840&q=75)
Linda Darling-Hammond
President of the CA State Board of Education
Learn more about Linda Darling-Hammond
![nic stone](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.prismic.io%2Fcatalyst-ca%2F1fa63caa-7d24-4bd2-ac68-62e7af284b3f_Screen%2BShot%2B2022-10-19%2Bat%2B8.08.48%2BPM.png%3Fauto%3Dcompress%2Cformat&w=3840&q=75)