The program

Early childhood systems throughout the country continue to be inequitable, with Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) children facing poorer outcomes due to a history of systemic and structural racism. At the same time, leaders from BIPOC communities are grossly underrepresented in positions of power within policy development processes.

We created the Pathwaves Fellowship in order to address this — to transform early childhood systems. We are cultivating leaders of color from communities furthest from justice so that they will inhabit decision-making roles that will shape early childhood policy systems.

The Pathwaves Fellowship employs full-time BIPOC leaders and posts these Fellows at placement sites (which span across public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors).

One day a week is devoted to professional development, where Fellows meet with values-aligned trainers, coaches, and consultants to cover topics like:

Fellows spend the other four days of the work week at their placement sites, where they gain on-the-job training as well as opportunities for them to practice their skills and apply the knowledge they are building.

The program is cohort-based, designed to connect folks with shared values, so that they can learn together and build community as they all go through the same experience at the same time. The goal with a cohort model is also to create a professional network for Fellows to continue to expand and grow after they complete the Fellowship.