Child Policy Expert Joins NC Early Childhood Foundation

mandyChild policy expert Mandy Ableidinger has joined the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) as the new Policy and Practice Leader. In this role, Ableidinger will advance the work of the NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading (Pathways) Initiative and establish a Birth‐to‐Eight Policy Center to serve as a reliable source of information on birth‐to‐eight policies for North Carolina policymakers, business leaders, philanthropists, early childhood professionals, community leaders and others. Ableidinger has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, focused on children’s issues. Most recently, she was an independent consultant in the early childhood, child welfare, and child mental health fields, including helping to guide the first year of the Pathways Initiative for NCECF. Previously, she served as the Director of Policy and Budget Analysis at Action for Children NC (now NC Child). She holds a B.A. from Duke University and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from Princeton University. “Mandy is a rock star. She has been instrumental in successfully launching Pathways, and we are excited to have her build on this work as part of our growing team at NCECF,” said Tracy Zimmerman, NCECF Executive Director. “Her collaborative nature, strategic thinking, and experience with North Carolina’s child-serving systems make her a perfect fit for this important work.” The Pathways Initiative focuses on aligning policies and advancing coordinated strategies that are proven to make progress on shared birth‐to‐eight measures of success. It is driven by collaborative action and is based on the recognition that together we can realize greater outcomes for young children than any one organization can produce on its own. Pathways is powered by the NC Early Childhood Foundation in collaboration with NC Child, The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., and BEST NC. NCECF has a bold vision that each North Carolina child has a strong foundation for lifelong success and reading proficiency, supported by the nation’s best birth-to-eight system. To achieve that vision, NCECF builds public will, promotes practice and policy solutions and is a catalyst for aligned action. It serves as the state lead for the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Learn more at http://www.buildthefoundation.org.