In July, Pathwaves Fellows took a field trip to Yakima to learn firsthand about the issues and opportunities facing children and families in the rural communities. The field trip was hosted in partnership with Lindsay Boswell of the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, and board members Maria Vasquez, Maggie Mendoza, and Sabrina Miller. Fellows had the opportunity to build relationships across in the region, ensuring that they are familiar with the complexities of early childhood systems in rural communities. This visit was a component of the Early Childhood Systems learning module which concluded in August.
Over the course of the 2-day field trip, Fellows visited the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, Ttáwaxt Birth Justice Center, Campbell Farm, Busy Bees Child Development Center, Heritage Early Learning Center, Blossoms Early Learning Center, and Castlevale. During the visits Fellows heard directly from providers and advocates about the issues facing their communities. Topics included child care access and affordability, barriers early learning centers encounter as they build out facilities to meet the community demands for quality early learning, and the role of birth justice in Indigenous communities.
Fellows shared that the field trip was a powerful opportunity for connection and relationship building. Visiting early learning centers in person allowed for a deeper understanding of how programs are utilizing their resources to meet the needs of their communities, such as providing holistic care for children and families and ensuring community voice is centered in decision-making . It also helped Fellows contextualize their existing knowledge about the early childhood landscape, particularly in rural communities.
Maria Vasquez, Pathwaves board member and long time early childhood advocate in the Yakima Valley, reflects on our time together: “The Yakima field trip was such a powerful reminder of how interconnected our work truly is across organizations, communities, and systems. Spending time with the Fellows, seeing their energy and authentic engagement, and experiencing the depth of connection at each site made the day both inspiring and grounding. I loved being alongside the Fellows in Yakima. Their commitment, passion and kindness were contagious.”
We hope to build more field trips into our curriculum to learn directly from community, providers, and advocates on ways to partner for thriving communities across the state. If you are interested in learning more about the Pathwaves Fellowship, please reach out to info@pathwaveswa.org.
