Child Care Associates surprised BNSF Executive Chairman Matt Rose with an award at its Early Childhood Investors’ Luncheon on October 3, 2018 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. The inaugural North Texas Early Childhood Leadership Award recognizes outstanding leadership that is working to move the needle on child outcomes at scale in the region, the state of Texas, and beyond. Recipient Mr. Matt Rose, Executive Chairman of BNSF (set to retire in 2019) and Chair of the Dallas Federal Reserve, represents a leader who has taken on this cause at many levels: personally, professionally and in the public space.
The luncheon walked through CCA’s fifty years of contributions to the community and detailed what’s to come. Keynote speaker Dr. Marquita Davis, Deputy Director of Early Learning at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, called attention to the importance of leadership in this space. The CEO of Child Care Associates’, Kara Waddell, rallied companies, civic organizations, and individuals to invest in early childhood education. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price garnered enormous applaud when she impassionedly stated, “Your zip code in Tarrant County shouldn’t determine your ability to read at grade level.”
Hundreds of supporters turned out for the event including four Superintendents - Fort Worth, Arlington, Crowley and Everman ISDs – as well as IDEA Public Charter, Tarleton University, and Texas Christian University. “Child Care Associates didn’t jump on the early education bandwagon,” stated Waddell on stage. “Instead, we’ve helped build a bandwagon of support and are helping form a system of early education and care to ensure every child of every means can start kindergarten ready to be successful in school.”