This year’s Families Learning Conference provided a powerful platform to explore innovative practices and foster conversations around equitable, family-centered learning systems. Among the many impactful sessions, RESCHOOL proudly contributed two dynamic sessions, led by Jess Fuller and Selamawit Gebre. These sessions embodied RESCHOOL’s mission to reimagine education as a community-centered and equity-driven endeavor.

Co-Design as the Driving Force Behind Your Work

Facilitated by Jess Fuller, Senior Director of System Partnerships & Operations, this session delved into the transformative potential of co-designing with families. Participants explored RESCHOOL’s Design Lab, a resource rooted in human-centered design, to learn how engaging families as partners can lead to adaptive and impactful systems. Jess highlighted key lessons from RESCHOOL’s work, emphasizing the importance of creating infrastructure that supports family-driven solutions. This session left attendees with practical tools to integrate co-design practices into their own programs, fostering trust and collaboration.

Ecosystem Partnerships to Fund Equitable Learning

Led by Selamawit Gebre, Senior Director of Strategy and Impact, this session focused on the role of cross-sector collaboration in expanding equitable access to community-wide learning opportunities. Selamawit showcased RESCHOOL’s Learning Dollars initiative, which empowers families in Colorado to access diverse learning resources. Attendees gained insights into how ecosystem partnerships can address systemic barriers and ensure that learning happens everywhere — inside and outside of traditional school settings.

Key Takeaways From the Conference

The 2024 Families Learning Conference reinforced the shared commitment to creating systems that center families, equity, and innovation. Highlights from other sessions include:

  • The importance of co-designing with families, as demonstrated in Nebraska’s Parent Conference, which serves as a model for collaborative system change.
  • Innovative solutions like Community Book Gardens, addressing disparities in book access while fostering literacy in diverse communities.
  • The role of technology in education, highlighted in sessions featuring tools like Google’s Learn and Explore Online (LEO) program and initiatives bridging digital learning with workforce readiness.
  • Collaborative approaches that amplify family voices in policy, such as Kentucky’s ARP initiative and Pennsylvania’s culturally responsive engagement framework.

Looking Ahead

This year’s conference was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when families, educators, policymakers, and community organizations come together to reimagine learning. At RESCHOOL, we are energized by the conversations and collaborations from this week and remain committed to advancing equitable, family-centered learning ecosystems.

For more information on RESCHOOL’s initiatives or to connect with Jess and Selamawit, visit our contact page and reach out directly. Let’s keep building systems that support learning everywhere.