In the Spirit of Wisdom and Leadershipby Mary Lou Johnson 6/27/2012 12:00:00 AM
In reflecting on my first year as your President, so much has been accomplished by PACE. Particularly, over the past few months we successfully brought our Association to a higher visibility level in Sacramento.

Dear PACE Members,

In reflecting on my first year as your President, so much has been accomplished by PACE.  Particularly, over the past few months we successfully brought our Association to a higher visibility level in Sacramento.  Thank you to our members for writing all the letters, and personally traveling to Sacramento to have your voices heard.  All your efforts were incredible, and undoubtedly will make a tremendous difference in the outcome of the Governor’s decision.

For the first time ever, PACE partnered with CCDAA and CAEYC to implement a joint Early Learning Advocacy Day on June 7, 2012.  This collaboration allowed us to have a strong voice, and a bigger impact on our State government.  This Advocacy Day conference reinforced the importance of our work which was reflected in the speeches of Mary Beth Salomone Testa, Policy Director for the Early Care and Education Consortium, Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tim Fitzharris, Legislative Advocate for the Child Development Policy Institute and PACE, and keynote speaker Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee columnist.

The afternoon was spent at the Capitol lobbying with California legislators, followed by an important debriefing.  We left Sacramento confident that the Governor’s budget will have less of a negative impact on children, families and providers than originally expected.

Save the date!  Our annual Education Conference is set for October 19-21, 2012 at the Oakland Marriott.  Register now to receive your Early Bird Conference Discount.  Additionally, there are special hotel rates available for PACE conference participants.

New this year, our membership invoices have been sent electronically via email, or mailed to you if we don’t have your email on file. We strive to keep our members involved and have a voice in our Association, therefore, I encourage you to call the PACE office with your questions, comments and suggestions.

The membership of PACE is the heart of our Association, and continues to be our inspiration to grow in numbers and strength to achieve our goals.  The larger we become, the larger our voice, the larger the influence we have on making a positive impact on California’s children.  Thank your for your continued support and membership.

In the Spirit of Wisdom and Leadership,

PACE President