The Kitsap Association for the Education of Young Children (KAEYC) Bremerton, Washington By: An-Deiss Savage and Rachel Seifert

Vision Statement “Assisting in the development and nurturance of a community that supports, values, and cherishes young children, families and all those who educate and nurture them. ”

The Mission of KAEYC KAEYC’s mission is to support, promote, and advocate for: 1. Quality early learning and care for children ages birth to eight years old. 2. A broad-based, inclusive membership. 3. Advocacy, public awareness and social change efforts related to the needs, rights and well-being of children and their families. KAEYC members value professional growth and development through lifelong learning opportunities provided in early childhood education. KAEYC supports opportunities for their strong inclusive membership to participate in meaningful ways as demonstrated throughout the community. We are committed to children, their development, education, and well being.

About KAEYC Size- The KAEYC is a small, local affiliate of the Washington AEYC. They are all a part of the parent organization, the National AEYC. There are approximately members in KAEYC. Staff- The Kitsap chapter of the AEYC currently has ten board members, including the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Affiliate Council Representative, and members-at-large. Budget- The KAEYC is financially stable and is looking for more ways to invest their money to support early childhood educators, and re- invigorate membership ranks.

Programs and Services Provided The KAEYC is first and foremost a professional organization, who is committed to supporting and advocating for early childhood educators and care providers. Support services professionals may receive through the KAEYC in Kitsap County include scholarships for ECE students to assist in their professional development, and paying the annual dues in the NAEYC, a national professional organization who has chapters throughout America, and offers many benefits to their members (NAEYC).

Leadership The governing board of the KAEYC is made up of ten members, some of which have served since the inception of the KAEYC in the early 1970’s. Rhodes Lockwood is the President of the organization, and there are approximately members of the KAEYC in total. As the KAEYC is a local affiliate of a national organization, the NAEYC, and as such, they must follow all the rules, laws, and mandates of the parent organization, based in Washington, DC, though the KAEYC is largely independent.

KAEYC and the Nonprofit Lifecycle As a long standing and secure organization, the KAEYC is currently reviewing its mission and focusing on revitalizing it’s membership by supporting new educators and caregivers, to take over when the older members start to retire. The KAEYC is in Stage V: Review and Renew. “The organization revisits it’s mission and programs and undertakes change. Minor changes may take it back to Stage IV. Major changes may take it back to Stage II. Returning to one of the earlier stages then may lead to renewed and continued growth” (Worth, 2012, p. 200).

Fund Development Strategy The KAEYC has a stable funding base, by and large collected through the big annual “Planting the Seeds of the Future” conference held by NAEYC each year, where they put up a booth. The KAEYC also receives modest funding through the dues collected for membership. The KAEYC has no financial liabilities, and tries to keep their savings account as low as possible. Often, there are several thousand dollars in the account, waiting to be gifted to further the educational development of early childhood educators.

Marketing and the Future of KAEYC The KAEYC does not engage in any marketing efforts, to speak of. They are a word-of-mouth organization, of long standing in the Kitsap County educational community. The organization is facing attrition due to the increasing age of the members, and they seek to re-invigorate membership to pass the torch on to a new generation of educators. Marketing could assist them with this goal. The KAEYC is already closely aligned with the Olympic College ECE program, where they seek to assist in the professional development of new educators via scholarships. Updating the KAEYC website, and engaging in social media could further spread the word about this organization and it’s benefits to a demographic who are frequently online: students and educators. The KAEYC could also take out ads in state and local professional periodicals, to increase their profile in the educational community of this area.

Reference Kitsap Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from Worth, M.J. (2012). Nonprofit management: Principles and practice (2 nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.