Start Early

06/12/2026

Babies' experiences shape who they become. Healthy relationships with caregivers give babies and toddlers the best start in life. 💛

This Infant Mental Health Awareness Week we are highlighting secure attachment as a foundation for babies' mental health.

Secure attachment is about the emotional bond between you and your baby. It's a central connection that promotes trust and emotional safety, critical for your child’s development.

Recognizing the importance of this emotional bond, Start Early Washington works with our local partners to promote early learning experiences for all children. Learn more about how our partners at Perigee Fund prioritize infant mental health in our blog: https://startearly.org/post/perigee-fund-giving-babies-mothers-the-best-start/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=washington&utm_content=infant_mental_health

06/11/2026

Today, we’re proud to officially welcome Celena Sarillo as president of Start Early.

Most recently serving as Executive Director of Start Early Illinois, Celena has been a trusted leader, advocate and partner – working alongside families, educators, policymakers and communities to help ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

As she steps into this role, we remain grounded in the mission that has guided our organization for nearly 45 years: advancing quality early learning and care and creating brighter futures for children.

The challenges facing young children and families are real, but so is the power of coming together to create change. We look forward to continuing this work under Celena’s leadership and building a future where every child can reach their full potential.

Please join us in congratulating Celena on her first official day as president of Start Early!

06/10/2026

Last week, Start Early hosted our 24th Annual Luncheon where more than 500 supporters, advocates, business leaders, policymakers and champions for children came together to celebrate the power of high-quality early learning and care. Together, we raised a record-breaking $3.3 million to support Start Early’s mission to ensure more children have the strong beginnings they deserve.

We’re grateful to our board chair, Mary Hasten; Luncheon Chairs, Helen Zell and Bruce Rauner; and speaker, Shannon Watts, for their powerful insights on the importance of investing in the earliest years.

A special thanks to our generous sponsors for making the event possible.

If you missed the event—or want to revisit the inspiring conversation—you can catch the recap of on our blog now.

https://bit.ly/4ulLcgd

06/09/2026

Home visiting helps families thrive by supporting parents, improving child outcomes and connecting families to critical services and resources.

As the federal landscape continues to shift, coordinated advocacy is more important than ever.

The Together for Home Visiting campaign brings advocates, practitioners and partners together to align efforts across states, respond to policy changes, elevate family and workforce voices and protect and strengthen home visiting programs nationwide.

Explore our new advocacy hub for tools, key messages and actionable resources to help you champion home visiting in your community and beyond: https://bit.ly/43XcqPz

06/04/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the , hosted by Helen Zell and Bruce Rauner! We’re united by the belief that together we can transform the lives of our youngest learners for generations. Help shape brighter futures – there’s still time to support early childhood education. https://bit.ly/4o19KtD

06/03/2026

Today, we gather to celebrate and invest in what matters most—our youngest learners. 💜 Even if you can’t join us at the , you can still support early childhood development and help us reach our goal. Every gift helps. https://bit.ly/3REXgf6

06/02/2026

A big thank you to our Premier Sponsors. Your support helps us continue our work to ensure every child has access to quality early learning and care. We’re so grateful to have you on this journey with us. Learn more about the and how we’re making an impact: https://bit.ly/4dJEbB1

06/01/2026

Shoutout to our amazing Champion Sponsors of the ! Your support helps us uplift early learning and care for all children—and we’re so grateful to have you by our side. 🌟 🎟️ Join us June 3 https://www.startearly.org/event/annual-luncheon/?oc=FTG-FY26-MAY-WSX-FAC-ALX-###-luncheon_champion&ms=FY26-MAY-WSX-FAC-ALX-###-luncheon_champion&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=annual_luncheon&utm_content=luncheon_champion

05/29/2026

Doula care is evidence-based magic! Discover the power of doula support to help make the pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience better as we share how doula supports improve maternal mental health https://bit.ly/4wLOlsa

Explore Sheila Ater Capestany's life's work in doula care to ensure women feel seen, supported, and emotionally held throughout motherhood.

05/28/2026

Say hello to our Luncheon Chairs, Helen Zell and Bruce Rauner✨ We’re proud to have their leadership behind this year’s . 🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/430BBQU