A Message From Our CEO | Collab for Children
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A Message From Our CEO

As the mother of two sons, both adult young men now, I could not be prouder of them. But it was not always easy. I know that it takes a village, especially in this ever-evolving digital world. For approximately 40 years, Collaborative for Children has continued to be laser-focused on providing relevant early educational opportunities for all Houston parents/guardians, child care providers, and early educators – all for the improved school-ready, physical, and social development skills for children. From neighborhood to statewide coaching, we have been building upon lessons learned from our community’s research data, using the latest trends in technology, because a strong start with emergent literacy, numeracy, social emotional and 21st Century technology skills that encourage curiosity, creativity and compassionate learning is truly the building block of every future leader.

We will continue to:

  1. Drive stronger school-readiness outcomes for all children ages birth to five years;
  2. Measure our progress with the latest in technology.

 

We present to our community the launch of our mobile classroom on wheels, the Collab-Lab; expanding our Centers of Excellence with their 21st Century Learning Curriculum; and unveiling a new business accelerator program to support child care business owners. At the center of everything we do is the child—ensuring that all children will be kindergarten-ready.

We know that adversity is a great teacher. As I reflect on the past years, we had our fair share of adverse events, from hurricanes to pandemics to an unprecedented winter storm. Needless to say, the resiliency and drive of Texans shined through. At Collaborative for Children, we solidified our calling to be a resource and a pillar of strength, responsibility, and innovation to our community. We continued operations even when our staff was personally affected because we honestly believe children come first.

Collaborative for Children responded to these unprecedented challenges by ensuring that the children enrolled in our Centers of Excellence program continued to have access to their resources, and by supporting the teachers and directors of the centers as they responded to the needs of the children and families. During the pandemic, with the support of Houston Endowment and the project management of Bridgespan, Collaborative for Children and Workforce Solutions, in partnership with the City of Houston and Harris County, launched a dedicated portal to help over 9,000 essential workers find quality child care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re here to walk this journey with parents, educators, and the community-at-large every step of the way, identifying needs and resources and stepping in to fill them or partner with someone who can. When we look back on our many decades of service, we will be able to say we made a difference in the lives of so many families. As an educator and a mother, nothing will make me prouder.

TOGETHER, WE WILL BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR ALL CHILDREN.


Melanie Johnson, Ed.D.

Dr. Melanie Johnson joined Collaborative for Children in 2018, and her transformative educational leadership has been instrumental in changing the paradigm of many ineffective historical teaching and learning methodologies.  Her digital transformation and STEM leadership in the areas of space, medical, and animal health sciences have transformed communities across the nation and internationally in developing nations.   Her team’s dynamic pre-school methodology, embedded in more than 100 child care Centers of Excellence (COEs), brings vital education resources to child care quality deserts.  Achieving United Nations Economic and Social Counsel status for the organization, she leads the region in strategic early education systems building to improve outcomes for children not enrolled in Pre-K. For almost 40 years, Collaborative has championed early childhood education, ensuring every child has access to quality learning. Today’s children face a workforce that does not yet exist, and Collaborative for Children ensures they are prepared for school and 21st-century outcomes and skills. Before joining Collaborative for Children, Dr. Johnson was President and CEO of The Health Museum, where she led the Museum to Smithsonian Affiliation. She was the NASA visitor center’s Director of Education. She is a government-appointed Commissioner of the Texas Animal Health Commission. She is on the Community Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and she serves on several notable early education committees and councils.  She achieved the Pierre and Marie Curie Award for Humanities for her work in developing countries, specifically in Managua, Nicaragua.