Strategic Plan 2024-2026
Vision
All young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.
All young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.
Mission Statement
SAZAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
SAZAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
Values and Beliefs
Our core values are defined in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and are deeply rooted in the early childhood profession. In addition, we seek to be a high-performing, inclusive organization that is enriched by and continually grows from our commitment to diversity, as embodied by our core beliefs. We strive to uphold these values and beliefs in all our initiatives within this document and our interactions in the communities we serve.
Our core values are defined in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and are deeply rooted in the early childhood profession. In addition, we seek to be a high-performing, inclusive organization that is enriched by and continually grows from our commitment to diversity, as embodied by our core beliefs. We strive to uphold these values and beliefs in all our initiatives within this document and our interactions in the communities we serve.
HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING
Children birth through age 8 have equitable access to learning environments dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.
GOALS:
1. Maintain relationships with local agencies and organizations that are committed to
equitable learning environments for children.
2. Provide diverse professional development for educators through Las Familias, a
community of practice funded by United Way’s Great Expectations Program.
3. Promote national and state policies that align with equitable access to high-quality
early learning.
4. Educate our members and community about the importance of advocating for
high-quality, inclusive early education for our children.
Children birth through age 8 have equitable access to learning environments dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.
GOALS:
1. Maintain relationships with local agencies and organizations that are committed to
equitable learning environments for children.
2. Provide diverse professional development for educators through Las Familias, a
community of practice funded by United Way’s Great Expectations Program.
3. Promote national and state policies that align with equitable access to high-quality
early learning.
4. Educate our members and community about the importance of advocating for
high-quality, inclusive early education for our children.
THE PROFESSION
Our early childhood education profession is vibrant and dynamic, and seen as a
critical component of our community.
GOALS:
1. Provide professional development opportunities through the Annual SAZAEYC
Conference, by offering workshops that align with diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) and specific needs of our local early childhood education (ECE) community.
2. Support and sustain the Brenda Loomis “Hello My Friend” Scholarship, which awards
recipients with college scholarships.
3. Identify and celebrate excellence in our profession through the Annual Awards
Brunch and recognition of NAEYC-accredited programs.
4. Promote the Week of the Young, which celebrates the importance of early childhood
and the families, educators, and advocates who support these important years in a
child’s life.
Our early childhood education profession is vibrant and dynamic, and seen as a
critical component of our community.
GOALS:
1. Provide professional development opportunities through the Annual SAZAEYC
Conference, by offering workshops that align with diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) and specific needs of our local early childhood education (ECE) community.
2. Support and sustain the Brenda Loomis “Hello My Friend” Scholarship, which awards
recipients with college scholarships.
3. Identify and celebrate excellence in our profession through the Annual Awards
Brunch and recognition of NAEYC-accredited programs.
4. Promote the Week of the Young, which celebrates the importance of early childhood
and the families, educators, and advocates who support these important years in a
child’s life.
,ORGANIZATIONAL ADVANCEMENT
SAZAEYC, as an affiliate to NAEYC, is a highly valued, credible, and visible organization.
GOALS:
1. Promote our profession to interested and diverse members of our community, to
increase our membership numbers.
2. Inform our members and others about the resources available through NAEYC,
SAZAEYC and AzAEYC.
3. Support and collaborate with AzAEYC, in alignment with the 2017 Memorandum of
Understanding document to create a cohesive message to the community business
leaders and elected officials about the importance of high-quality early learning.
4. Use social media, list serves and collaboration with other organizations to increase
visibility and credibility in our community.
5. Promote opportunities to all members of our community to be a part of SAZAEYC.
SAZAEYC, as an affiliate to NAEYC, is a highly valued, credible, and visible organization.
GOALS:
1. Promote our profession to interested and diverse members of our community, to
increase our membership numbers.
2. Inform our members and others about the resources available through NAEYC,
SAZAEYC and AzAEYC.
3. Support and collaborate with AzAEYC, in alignment with the 2017 Memorandum of
Understanding document to create a cohesive message to the community business
leaders and elected officials about the importance of high-quality early learning.
4. Use social media, list serves and collaboration with other organizations to increase
visibility and credibility in our community.
5. Promote opportunities to all members of our community to be a part of SAZAEYC.
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
SAZAEYC, as an affiliate to NAEYC, reflects excellence in all aspects of organizational health and vitality.
GOALS:
1. Increase organizational capacity (assets/resources) by seeking grants and
implementing projects that serve our members and our profession.
2. Maintain fiscal responsibility and administrative structures within the organization
with a shared understanding of vision, mission and values.
3. Maintain an intentional commitment to be a High-Performing, Inclusive
Organization (HPIO).
4. Seek input from membership in order to create a healthy, vital and diverse early
childhood organization (e.g. surveys and evaluations).
5. Seek to leverage the inherent tensions between historical context, the power of
the present, and intentional and inevitable change to remain a dynamic, viable
institution. This requires intentional strategies for managing change, identifying
and supporting desired results of organizational transformation.
6. Provide members with a platform for having their needs heard, in order to grow
membership and retain current members.
SAZAEYC, as an affiliate to NAEYC, reflects excellence in all aspects of organizational health and vitality.
GOALS:
1. Increase organizational capacity (assets/resources) by seeking grants and
implementing projects that serve our members and our profession.
2. Maintain fiscal responsibility and administrative structures within the organization
with a shared understanding of vision, mission and values.
3. Maintain an intentional commitment to be a High-Performing, Inclusive
Organization (HPIO).
4. Seek input from membership in order to create a healthy, vital and diverse early
childhood organization (e.g. surveys and evaluations).
5. Seek to leverage the inherent tensions between historical context, the power of
the present, and intentional and inevitable change to remain a dynamic, viable
institution. This requires intentional strategies for managing change, identifying
and supporting desired results of organizational transformation.
6. Provide members with a platform for having their needs heard, in order to grow
membership and retain current members.
LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION
SAZAEYC, as an affiliate to NAEYC, cultivates dynamic leaders and implements
innovative strategies that propel the profession of early learning.
GOALS:
1. Promote SAZAEYC as a reliable, productive collaborator in early childhood
education.
2. Use data obtained from membership to build leadership and advocacy capacity.
3. Create and maintain a student chapter for Southern Arizona.
4. Cultivate board leaders that represent the diversity of our community and the children we serve.
SAZAEYC, as an affiliate to NAEYC, cultivates dynamic leaders and implements
innovative strategies that propel the profession of early learning.
GOALS:
1. Promote SAZAEYC as a reliable, productive collaborator in early childhood
education.
2. Use data obtained from membership to build leadership and advocacy capacity.
3. Create and maintain a student chapter for Southern Arizona.
4. Cultivate board leaders that represent the diversity of our community and the children we serve.