ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021 - Introduction - Build Initiative
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ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Introduction
The BUILD Initiative is excited to announce the second cohort of Equity Leaders Action
Network (ELAN) Fellowship. The Fellowship supports state, county, tribal, and territorial leaders
to work within early childhood systems to advance policies, practices, programs, and initiatives
that intentionally redress racial marginalization and create racial equity. Applicants should
be interested in taking action within their roles, responsibilities, and spheres of influence to
remediate and reduce disparities and inequities for young children (birth to age five), their
families, and communities. The Fellowship is designed to nurture a community of leaders who
work together to support, critique, and strengthen their shared commitment to building early
childhood systems in which race and place no longer determine child outcomes and family
well-being. The two-year ELAN Fellowship, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will run
from April 2021 to April 2023.
The ELAN was created in response to four challenges reflected in early childhood systems,
programs, entities, and organizations: racism; fragmented early childhood systems; lack of
meaningful inclusion and responsiveness to Black, American Indian, Latinx, Asian American,
Pacific Islander, immigrant, and other diverse voices; and a dearth of policy leadership
intentionally committed to addressing racial equity.
The ELAN has three primary goals:
• Support leaders in developing the will and skill to question personal
assumptions and institutional and structural policies and practices and work
collaboratively to develop strategies that promote early childhood systems
that are explicitly and measurably equitable and excellent for all children.
• Build the capacity of members to critically examine, with racial equity
processes, tools and concepts, institutional and structural policies and practices
for distributing state and federal resources (e.g., funding and services).
• Advance change through intentional actions that avoid further disadvantaging
children and families of color and those in poverty, and members of the early
childhood workforce.
1ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
The ELAN Seeks to Achieve its Goals Through Fellows’ Development of Five Core Abilities
The ELAN Fellowship supports the development of five core interdependent abilities in early
childhood system leaders considered essential to successfully advance racial equity.
1. The ability to build and use new knowledge regarding:
• The factors that sustain and reproduce inequality (e.g., the complex nature of
leadership, early childhood science, and structural racism).
• Strategies, processes, and skills necessary to lead racial equity work.
• The use of data and identification of disparities present in populations Fellows
currently serve through their work.
• Engaging and sustaining intentional transformational relationships with families
and community leaders most affected by both systemic racialization and early
childhood programs and services.
2. The ability to self-reflect alone and with others in order to leading on racial equity and
BUILD supportive learning communities that can collectively dismantle in early childhood
systems disproportionality due to race, social class, ethnicity, and other factors.
3. The ability to think and act strategically to achieve early childhood systems change
grounded in racial equity and racial justice processes.
4. The ability to intentionally act both within and outside the supportive ELAN community to
build racially equitable early childhood systems and programs.
5. The ability to build collaborative inclusive networks of all stakeholders that elevate the
voices and perspectives of those most affected by programs, services and policies;
and effectively communicate with all stakeholders and others to collectively dismantle
disproportionality due to race, social class, and place.
Who
Up to twenty-five leaders working in state, county, tribal or territorial programs, initiatives,
or structures within the early childhood system (e.g., early learning and care, health, child
welfare) will be selected to participate in the second ELAN cohort. Applicants’ leadership
work in early childhood systems must be focused on young children (prenatal to age 5). The
ELAN Fellowship program intentionally seeks to include early childhood system leaders from
communities and groups who historically have experienced and/or currently experience racial,
ethnic, and economic marginalization.
2ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Selection Criteria
Successful applicants must:
• Be formally connected to the early childhood system for children prenatal to age five
by their roles and responsibilities within sub-systems, such as health, early learning,
economic support, or child welfare.
• Have a scope of work with responsibility for and authority over programs, policies, or
specific practices that contribute to the well-being of young children prenatal to five,
their families, or the workforce.
• Have an expressed interest in leading for racial equity and taking action at the state,
county, tribal, and territorial levels.
• Have experiences working with or within marginalized Black, American Indian, Alaskan
Native, Latinx, Asian American, and/or Pacific Islander communities and immigrant
communities of color.
• Have a history or interest in participation on early childhood system committees or
workgroups with cross-sector (e.g., early learning, health) representation at the local
county, regional, tribal, or state level.
• Have at least five years’ experience working in programs, initiatives, or policy
development and anticipate continuing a career for another 10+ years working at the
national, state, territory, county, or tribal level on behalf of racially and ethnically diverse
young children and their families.
• Have a supervisor/manager who will in an official letter both commit to: 1) support
the ELAN fellow’s two-years of participation in the ELAN Fellowship, and 2) share
how the fellow’s participation in the ELAN program will benefit the fellow’s roles and
responsibilities within the organization or department in which they both work.
Selection Process
The application process has three steps.
1. Initial Application: Applications will be distributed in January of 2021 and will include a
written application, submission of a short video in which the applicant discusses his/her
current work and interest in racial equity and early childhood systems change, and a letter
of support from the applicant’s current supervisor/director. Applicants who meet selection
criteria will be invited to participate in Round 2.
3ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Selection Process continued
2. Virtual Think Tank Meeting: Approximately 60 applicants will be selected before First
Round to participate in a March 2021 Think Tank Meeting composed of two virtual three-
hour sessions. During this meeting, first-round applicants will participate in:
• Group interviews.
• Opportunities to network with ELAN alumni.
• Workshops on defining an equity project.
• Catalytic activities to assess applicants’ willingness to take action to
remediate inequity in early childhood systems, and their particular interest areas.
• Opportunities for applicants to ask questions and determine if the ELAN Fellowship
is right for them.
3. Final Selections: Approximately twenty-five Think Tank meeting participants will be
selected to participate in the two-year ELAN Fellowship.
Commitments of Selected Applicants
Applicant must be able to commit to the following:
• Two years of participation.
• Monthly activities, such as webinars or discussion groups.
• Biannual multi-day Leadership Institutes.
• Journaling.
• Individual and group-based advising for each Fellow with ELAN faculty.
• Networking and relationship building within and outside of the Fellowship.
• Identifying, defining, and implementing a job-based project through which Fellows can
strengthen their ability to affect change in systems and advance equity by applying skills
and knowledge gained in the Fellowships.
• Participation in evaluation and other formative assessments.
• Self-directed reading and study.
4ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Timeline
PHASE I 2020 – 2021
January 11 – February 19, 2021 Application Process
January 19, 2021, 2 PM EST Introduction to Application Process Webinar
Applications due February 19, 2021 Applications due
Invitation to Second Round Virtual Think Tank Second Round Invitation to Virtual Think Tank
on or before March 4
Virtual Think Tank INVITATION ONLY: Morning and afternoon
March 11, 2021, 1 – 4 PM EST or 9 – 12 EST Virtual Think Tank sessions are designed for
applicants to increase their understanding
of the Fellowship’s goals, objectives and
expectations, and to have questions and
concerns addressed; to meet the faculty;
and for ELAN faculty to engage, support,
and get to know applicants.
March 18, 1 – 4 pm EST or 9 – 12 EST Offers, Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU, and Commitments)
PHASE II 2021 – 2022
April 2021 Fellowship Begins
April – May 2021 Orientation and Onboarding
April 2021 – April 2023 Intentional Individual Coaching, Monthly
Discussion Groups, Webinars
April 2021 – October 2021 Project Development and Refinement,
Beneficiary Voice Relationships Established
Spring 2022 Fellowship Recommitment for Fellows
October 2021 – December 2022 Project Implementation
Spring 2022 National Meeting
PHASE III 2022 – 2023
March – April 2023 Potential National Meeting and
Closing Activities
5ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Application
CONTACT INFORMATION
Primary Contact Name_________________________________________________________________
Title__________________________________________________________________________________
Organization__________________________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________________________
City/Town_____________________________________________________________________________
State/Province_________________________________________________________________________
Zip/Postal Code_______________________________________________________________________
Tribal membership (if applicable)________________________________________________________
Personal email address_________________________________________________________________
Work email address____________________________________________________________________
Cell Phone Number____________________________________________________________________
Supervisor Name and Title______________________________________________________________
What is the primary area of focus in your work? Check all that apply.
q Early Childhood Systems
q Health or Mental health
q Early Learning
q Family Support
q Other (please describe):_____________________________________________________________
Do you primarily work at the state, county, regionally or tribal level?
q Tribal
q State
q Regional
q County
q Other (please specify):_______________________________________________________________
6ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Please respond to the questions below. Please limit your responses for each question to
no more than 250 words.
1. Briefly describe your understanding of what contributes to some children and their
families, despite their efforts, having barriers to opportunities that would benefit child
and family well-being (250 words max.).
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2. Describe your current roles and responsibilities within the early childhood system (e.g.,
early learning; early intervention; nutrition; child welfare; home visiting health [public
health, health care]; housing; economic supports [e.g., TANF, employment services]; other.
Provide an example of how you use your role, responsibilities, and ability to influence
others to remove barriers or advance opportunities for Black, Latinx, American Indian,
Alaskan Native, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or other marginalized children and their
communities (250 words max.).
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7ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
3. Describe any workgroups, committees, or other cross-sector teams on which you
participate and how they benefit young children, their families, or the workforce.
Describe how the groups, committees, and/or teams are advancing policy, practice, and
programs to benefit young children and their families or caregivers (250 words max.).
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4. Provide at least one specific example of your work within the last three years on behalf of
children prenatal to five. Include information regarding your network of people, programs,
and structures. Describe policies, practices, or programs that you have managed, shifted, or
modified to remove barriers to opportunity or distribution of resources to improve access to
opportunities for marginalized young children, their families, and communities. Include the
challenges you experienced in advancing efforts to increase equity (250 words max.).
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8ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Video Interview
As part of your application, create a video to address the following questions. Limit each
response to three minutes.
• Describe your perspective on the root causes of inequity in the United States for Black,
Native American, Latinx children, and their families or other marginalized families.
• Describe the event or a time in your life that caused you to recognize the importance of
intentionally working to remediate inequities?
• Please describe your goals and hopes for participating in the Equity Leaders Action
Network should you be selected as a Fellow.
Letter of Support
Your submission should include at least one letter of support from a manager or other individu-
al in leadership with whom you are currently working. The letter should discuss: the reason the
writer is supporting your participation in the ELAN, opportunities to modify programs, policies,
and practices resulting from your participation. The letter should discuss your past or current
involvement with other members within the early childhood systems to advance equity as a
function of your formal or informal roles, responsibilities, and influence levels.
DEMOGRAPHICS
BUILD will make every effort to create an ELAN cohort that is diverse. Please answer the
following questions to help us in that process.
Please indicate your age range:
q 20-30 years old
q 31-45 years old
q 46-60 years old
q Over 60 years old
How long have you been in leadership in programs, services, or initiatives that benefit young
children, their families, and communities?
q Less than 1 year
q 2 – 4 years
q 5-8 years
q 8 or more years
9ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
What is the highest level of education have you completed?
q Some high school, no diploma q Bachelor’s degree
q High school graduate, diploma or q Master’s degree
the equivalent (e.g., GED)
q Professional degree
q Some college credit, no degree
q Doctoral degree
q Trade/technical/vocational training
q Other (please specify):
q Associate’s degree _________________________________________
What is your race or ethnic background?
q American Indian q Pacific Islander
q Alaskan Native q White (not Hispanic or Latinx)
q Asian American q Two or more races
q Black or African American q Other
q Latinx or Hispanic
Please describe your gender identity:
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Please describe any other aspect of your identity that you wish to provide:
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WEBINAR
For more information about the ELAN application process, please join us for an informational
webinar on January 19, 2021, 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST. Register here.
ONLINE APPLICATION LINK
Applications can be submitted through this application portal. Submissions are due
on or before February 19, Midnight PST. Your video interview can be uploaded in the
application portal.
10ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
The Fellowship Team
Director/Faculty
Dr. Killins Stewart holds a nursing degree
Sherri Killins Stewart, Ed. D., is the Director from the University of Pittsburgh, a Masters
of State Systems Alignment and Integration, of Administrative Science from Johns Hopkins
Co-Director of State Services, and an indepen- University, and a Doctorate in Counseling
dent consultant. In her work with BUILD, she Psychology from the University of Sarasota.
works directly with state leaders to advance
early childhood systems efforts in health, early Questions? Email Sherri Killins Stewart.
learning, and family support. She leads work to
define and create intentional practices regard- Aisha Ray, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Fellow
ing equity in early childhood systems, policy, at the BUILD Initiative where she co-leads the
and leadership within the work of the BUILD Equity Leaders Action Network, a national
Initiative. Her equity work includes co-leading a leadership program. Her BUILD work focuses
network of early childhood leaders to advance on racial equity, teaching and learning, and
racial equity. Dr. Killins Stewart has worked at professional development. In addition, Dr. Ray
multiple levels and in a variety of states and/ is part of the BUILD team working with the
or communities to create targeted action to National Center on Early Childhood Quality
benefit young children and their families, in- Assurance. Dr. Ray is also a Professor Emerita of
cluding Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Michi- Child Development at Erikson Institute. She is
gan, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, New a developmental psychologist with an interest
Haven, Connecticut, and Baltimore, Maryland. in how social, cultural, and racial factors shape
early childhood teacher preparation and the
Dr. Killins Stewart was the former Commission- workforce; child-rearing in low-income Black
er of Early Education and Care for the Com- communities and the role of fathers; and racial
monwealth of Massachusetts, Vice President equity and the elimination of white supremacy
of Human Development and Operations at in early childhood systems. She is the former
the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and CEO of Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and
Empower New Haven. Dean of Faculty (SVP/Dean) at Erikson.
Dr. Killins Stewart is known for crossing orga- She serves as a Senior Adviser to the President
nizational boundaries to create a child devel- of the National Black Child Development. Aisha
opment lens on the work of informal organi- has consulted with numerous groups including
zations as well as within other state agencies, the Blue Ribbon Panel on Early Learning of
including public health and housing. the New York State Board of Regents; Illinois
Early Learning Council’s Executive Committee;
Throughout her career, Dr. Killins Stewart National Association of State Boards of Educa-
has been committed to supporting families, tion; Ounce of Prevention Fund; Buffett Center
both children and adults, through the use of at the University of Nebraska; Annie E. Casey
workforce, housing, health, and education Foundation; Chicago Public Schools; Council
strategies. Her efforts seek to increase access of Great City Schools; the Illinois Fatherhood
for families and communities to high-quality Initiative; First School of the University of North
formal and informal opportunities in health, Carolina; and Child Trends.
early learning, and family wellbeing.
11ELAN FELLOWS APPLICATION 2021
Currently she is a member of the Power of Fa- focusing on racial equity and family engage-
thers Advisory Board, and the board of Chil- ment across Iowa’s early childhood system via
dren’s Home and Aid Society. In addition, she Early Childhood Iowa.
is a community activist engaged in issues relat-
ed to Black child development and racial jus- Michelle is also on the faculty of BUILD’s Equity
tice in Chicago. She has taught at the Univer- Leader’s Action Network working with leaders
sity of Michigan, DePaul University, Morehouse from across the country acting on specific racial
College, and Prairie State Community College, inequities in state early childhood systems—in
and was a research scientist at the University of early learning, health, mental health, nutrition,
Chicago Unit on Child Development. and family support—and especially at the inter-
section of these systems.
Dr. Ray earned a doctorate and a master’s de-
gree in developmental psychology from the She currently leads BUILD’s evaluation and
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; a master’s documentation efforts conceptualizing, imple-
degree in early education from Erikson Insti- menting and sharing results to inform BUILD’s
tute/Loyola University of Chicago; and a bach- early childhood systems development work
elor’s degree in history from Grinnell College. and the broader systems development field.
Faculty Michelle received her B.A. in sociology with a
concentration in women’s studies from Drake
Michelle Stover-Wright came to BUILD with University and earned her M.S. in sociology
over 16 years at the Child and Family Policy from Iowa State University.
Center (CFPC), leading research and advocacy
efforts as well we serving as Interim Executive
Director. She is the BUILD Initiative’s Research
and Evaluation Manager.
Michelle’s work at CFPC focused on the re-
search and synthesizing of policies and strate-
gies related to child health and development,
poverty, early childhood, diversity and equity,
comprehensive systems development, family
strengthening, literacy, K-12 education, immi-
gration and other areas supporting children
and families. Michelle led CFPC’s evaluation ac-
tivities for national, state and community based
initiatives and programs utilizing qualitative
and quantitative data for outcome identifica-
tion, quality improvement and systems impact.
Michelle’s system development efforts focus on
improving comprehensive systems supporting
children and families while assuring that equi-
ty and family engagement are foundational.
Michelle continues to co-chair efforts in Iowa
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