Foundation Joins Invest in US for Anniversary Event in D.C.

Rozita Green, Chief Strategy Officer at the Bainum Family Foundation (center), joined other supporters of quality early learning at a Dec. 16 event marking the one-year anniversary of the Invest in US challenge.
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, was one of the featured speakers at the Invest in US anniversary event.
John King, Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education (and incoming Secretary of Education), also was a featured speaker at the Invest in US anniversary event.

Dec. 18, 2015

The Bainum Family Foundation participated in a December 16 event marking the one-year anniversary of the Invest in US campaign. Launched at the White House Summit in December 2014, Invest in US is powered by the First Five Years Fund and challenges public and private partners, business leaders, philanthropists, advocates, elected officials and members of the public to help build a better nation by expanding high-quality early childhood education programs for children from birth through age five.

As part of the campaign, dozens of major corporations, foundations and individuals have agreed to dedicate a greater ongoing percentage of their philanthropy to expanding high-quality early childhood programs. The Bainum Family Foundation has committed $10 million over five years to enhance early learning in the District, with a focus on Wards 7 and 8. Nationwide, commitments to the campaign total more than $333 million.

Held at Powell Elementary School in Washington, D.C., the anniversary event included a number of featured speakers and a panel discussion. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama; John King, Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education (and incoming Secretary of Education); and Roberto Rodriguez, Deputy Assistant to the President for Education, delivered remarks on the president’s commitment to investing in quality early childhood education, and the achievements made over the last year through the Invest in US campaign.

Bainum Family Foundation Chief Strategy Officer Rozita Green participated in the panel discussion, along with other early learning supporters (PBS, the Wolf Trap Foundation the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, and the Early Childhood Innovation Network).

She said, “We are thrilled to have been included in this event, which highlights the importance of early learning and the growing understanding, not just in the District but nationwide, that investments in quality early learning programs deliver returns for a lifetime.”