One million. That is the number of students Vanguard’s My Classroom Economy (MyCE) program has reached since its launch just under a decade ago. My Classroom Economy is a free financial literacy program and classroom management system for teachers that allows students to learn financial responsibility through hands-on learning. My Classroom Economy, and its sister program My Home Economy (for parents and guardians), are entirely powered by volunteers across Vanguard. These crew dedicate time and talent outside of their “day jobs” to fuel a “passion project” that is part of Vanguard’s suite of community programs. For me, my “day job” is in our business that serves financial advisors, specifically Registered Investment Advisors. In my role as Channel Lead, my team works with our sales group and clients to develop and execute strategy for how we can best serve this important client base. Within MyCE, I’ve volunteered in a number of roles and am proud to currently serve as the Program Chair.

Anyone that knows me has heard me say that MyCE is the perfect marriage of two of my passions- education and personal finance. Before I came to Vanguard I completed the Teach for America program, teaching seventh grade math at a school in Charlotte, North Carolina. I found my way to Vanguard by following a tip received from teammates on an intramural kickball team and channeling my finance degree. I started at Vanguard in Client Services, helping clients meet their investment needs. I remember a colleague leaning over my desk and making the connection that as a former teacher, I might want to learn about this financial literacy program Vanguard offered. I went to an information session and was hooked. My Classroom Economy linked what I loved about my pre-Vanguard career with my current one, allowing me to stay deeply connected to the education community, while growing professionally with a company I love.

I’m exceptionally proud of our recent milestone of reaching one million students. But to me, it is more than just a milestone. It is a million lives impacted and put on a more responsible financial trajectory because of the dedication of their teachers and the passion of a volunteer team. In pausing to celebrate this manifestation of how volunteer hours have made a real difference, I also was struck not only by what I’ve given to the program over the years, but what it has given me. My time with MyCE not only helped me continue to feel fulfilled professionally, but it also has played a pivotal role in driving my career at Vanguard. My peers in the program would say the same about their own experiences. Again, more than just a milestone.

After seven and a half years and several different “day jobs” at Vanguard, I’ve realized that my volunteer roles allowed me to learn new skillsets and pursue interests before making career leaps. I took on a strategic assignment with MyCE, analyzing options for a potential program expansion before joining Vanguard’s Corporate Strategy group as an analyst. MyCE helped me learn how to be a people leader, first by leading the MyCE team in North Carolina and then stepping into the Program Chair seat, leading the full volunteer team of roughly 150 crew. Along the way I’ve had the chance to sharpen skills in public speaking, stakeholder management and even sales, all of which have translated to my “day jobs”.

As I think about the next million kids that My Classroom and My Home Economy will impact, I’m confident that impact will continue to extend to those volunteers behind the scenes who power the program. I think it is so important to find a place to give back that allows you to pursue a passion. That passion will be what keeps you coming back to give your time year after year. And while you’re there, embrace the opportunities to sharpen your skills and learn new things. You might not realize it at the time (I certainly didn’t), but you might just be laying the foundation for your next career move.

-Meg T.

Communities around the world faced unprecedented need in 2020. Throughout these difficult times, Vanguard crew were a constant force for good. With all of their help, we made an incredibly positive impact in our local communities. In this blog, we celebrate some of the amazing ways our crew have shown their support of the communities where we work and live. Here’s to accomplishing great things in 2021 as well.

My Classroom Economy Financial Education Program

To help students learn financial responsibility, our crew developed a free curriculum that enables teachers to build the financial literacy of K–12 students through fun, experiential learning. Through the program, students gain money management skills and learn the importance of long-term
planning, responsible budgeting, and delayed gratification.

Vanguard Strong Start for Kids Program

Our signature charitable initiative, the Vanguard Strong Start for Kids ProgramTM, gives young children growing up in poverty in Greater Philadelphia, Charlotte, Phoenix, and London the opportunity to grow, thrive, and learn, with a focus on improving school readiness. Our philanthropic program is supported by our crew’s volunteer time and talent along with generous contributions during the annual giving campaign, including a 100% company match and additional corporate dollars.

Hometown Grants Program

The Hometown Grants Program provides community grants to nonprofit agencies in the communities near where Vanguard operates. Funded by the Vanguard Group Foundation, the program is run by local Investment Committees made up of crew volunteers who select and vet the giving strategies and grantees. These grants complement the Vanguard Strong Start for Kids Program by targeting needs in a community outside our strategic focus on early childhood. The Hometown Grants Program currently operates an invitation-only grants process from Vanguard’s Greater Philadelphia, Charlotte, Phoenix, and London offices.

Matching Gift Program

The Matching Gift Program, available year-round, enhances crew’s ability to give collectively with focused impact on early childhood and to magnify personal giving to other charitable causes.

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

Giving Season is a time for crew to help children and families by donating time and gifts to ensure that the holiday season is bright. Although we weren’t able to host any wrapping or shopping parties in person this year, teams across Vanguard came together virtually to help children and families in need. In this blog, our crew share how they were able to uphold Vanguard traditions.

I’ve been the Operations Lead for Giving Season for the past three years.  As soon as the pandemic hit in spring, our Giving Season team pivoted to determine how this program – beloved by our crew and more important than ever to our community – could be adapted for our new reality. Running our traditional campaign was definitely not in the cards, but we were able to work with Vanguard’s Community Stewardship team to introduce an online gift giving platform that delivers to nonprofits. This allowed us to stand up a “virtual” Giving Season with our partner agencies this year. It could be described as a “gift registry” experience. We are so pleased that the Vanguard crew here in the U.S. exceeded our targets for the campaign. Crew also had the opportunity to donate money directly to Toys 4 Tots, since we couldn’t be on campus to do collection bins this year.  What’s more, Vanguard provided matching funds for all of our gifts! The spirit of giving is certainly still strong at Vanguard! – Mark O., RIG Project Manager

In lieu of our annual gift wrapping pizza party, the Office of General Counsel (OGC) Systems team met virtually over lunch to play a Thanksgiving trivia game and do some online shopping for families in need. It was convenient to have a few different options for giving this year, and the opportunity to double our gifts with Vanguard’s 100% match was wonderful! At Vanguard, Giving Season is not just about buying presents or donating money; it’s also about coming together as a team to help others in our community who need it most.
– Joy U., Technical Project Manager

In this environment, selecting a charity to give a donation to couldn’t be easier. You can purchase goods, provide a monetary donation to your favorite charity, or shop for holiday gifts for children. You can donate as an individual or work with your team to make a group contribution. Thanks to Vanguard for making it easy for us to give! – Barbara W., Change Analyst

For two decades, Vanguard crew have donated gifts for children in our communities around the holidays to deliver joy to families in need. As our 2020 virtual environment extended from winter to spring to early summer, it became clear that we were going to need to pivot quickly to ensure we could still make an impact while also keeping our crew and partners safe. Through the hard work and imagination of several dedicated crew, we developed a virtual solution in partnership with several charitable agencies that enabled crew to shop securely online in a custom registry based on wish lists provided by the children our program supports. While it felt different this year, crew were thrilled to still be able to make a difference at the holidays! – Will S., Senior Product Owner and corporate program manager for Giving Season

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”

The history of remembrances for fallen soldiers dates back to the post-Civil War era. Americans began to hold springtime tributes to fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers.

Throughout the years, these remembrances began to take on new meaning, and new traditions came about.

• In 1920, the National American Legion adopted red poppies as their official symbol of remembrance.
• In 1968, Congress moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend.
• In 2000, Congress declared that a National Moment of Remembrance take place every Memorial Day at 3:00 p.m.

This year, Memorial Day will take on an even deeper meaning. Because of restrictions mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic, public graveside gatherings and parades are canceled. Flags now fly half-staff every day to remember those who have died of COVID-19. Poppies are now virtual instead of given in person.

But the opportunity to mark Memorial Day is as important as ever. We encourage you to find ways to connect with friends, family, current military members, and veterans. Reflect on the sacrifice made by fallen warriors and their families. Discover new ways to encourage those who are serving and have served.

Virtual remembrances

Vanguard’s VetsConnect members recently shared their thoughts on the importance of Memorial Day, those they are remembering, and the importance of all who serve in these challenging times today.

“I think about how important it is to celebrate all those who’ve served in the military, those currently serving, and military families who serve, too. It reminds me that we should be taking a little time each day to say thank you to all of those in uniform. I would also like to honor those serving during these challenging times: The health care workers, the first responders, the postal service, the grocery store workers, and all those who work in jobs that support the food supply.” –Andrew B.

“My Dad and I put flags on all our family gravesites the weekend before Memorial Day—our own small tradition of remembrance. This year Memorial Day has new meaning, including all of the front-line workers who are taking risks every day.” –Shari G.

In the U.S., crew members celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, legacy, and commitment to volunteerism by participating in community projects and activities throughout the winter. As Black History Month comes to an end, we have asked crew in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona to reflect and share their personal experiences attending Martin Luther King, Jr. Days of Service events. Here’s what they had to say:

For as long as I can remember, receiving quality education has been a priority in my household. I spent countless hours at my parents’ dining room table working on homework. Even now, my mom regularly tries to convince my 4-year-old son to work on spelling games at the same table. I feel very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work with the West Philadelphia Action for Early Learning (AFEL) to help instill this imperative into the children of that community. The organization has two main goals: kindergarten readiness and reading on grade level by the third grade. My colleagues and I were able to support these goals by preparing resource bags for use in classrooms and reading to some of the children from local schools. Beyond the crew that were able to attend, crew from across Vanguard donated over 250 books to help children build their home libraries.

The specific group that supported AFEL is the Vanguard Black Professional Network (VBPN), which is committed to increasing engagement of black crew members and supporting the increased representation of black crew in leadership positions. Having the opportunity to serve with aligned crew in a community that may produce the future of Vanguard leadership was truly a humbling experience.

— Josh C.

VBPN sponsored two MLK Days of Service events in North Carolina at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Classroom Central. Second Harvest is responsible for supplying food throughout a 19-county region of North and South Carolina through a network of over 700 emergency pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and programs for low-income children and seniors. Crew members took time out of their Saturday to help inspect and sort donated food items for distribution to those partner agencies. Classroom Central equips students in need by collecting and distributing free school supplies to their teachers. Eleven Vanguard crew members assisted the organization by die cutting shapes and organizing the overflow of school supplies in the warehouse.

— Ebony B. and Sabrina B.

As a North Caroline VBPN site lead, giving back is extremely important to me. It’s such a rewarding and humbling experience. I’ve been with Vanguard for 21 years and our commitment to our community has never wavered. It is an amazing differentiator, and providing Days of Service so crew can work together to help others is so empowering. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Black History Month, this resonates with me even more. His commitment to service and helping others was powerful and a major driver in the movement. To be able to not only serve, but honor him and his sacrifice, is humbling. To me, this is what our purpose is about; loving and helping others, and extending your hand to pull others up. That is what service is really about.

— Kenya H.

I am a helper by nature and have enjoyed volunteering for many organizations and causes since childhood. I recently had the opportunity to coordinate an MLK Days of Service volunteer event on behalf of VBPN at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). FMSC is a non-profit organization that assists in providing rice, soy, dried vegetables, and vitamins and minerals to needy children locally and internationally. Through donations and the efforts of volunteers, FMSC is able to ensure the food is packaged and expedited to hungry kids. On the day of our volunteer event, I was immediately impressed with the FMSC staff. We were warmly greeted and provided with instructions to prepare us for the day.

I appreciated that the FMSC staff emphasized a hygienic environment to ensure the children were not exposed to germs, and we watched a video that included detailed instructions for each food prep station. The staff kept the event light by teaching us fun chants to say when each prep station was able to completely fill a box with food packages. The staff shared with the volunteers that it costs $88.00 to feed one needy child, ALL year! As a parent of two teenagers, that resonated with me. On average, it costs my family more than $88.00 per week in meals. During our volunteer session, we were able to fill 192 boxes with food packages, which will feed 113 children in Thailand and provide 41,472 meals!

When I volunteer, I feel that I benefit from the experience in so many ways. I get to share in the experience with fellow crew and members in our community that also volunteer their time. Volunteering helps me appreciate how fortunate we are and reminds me that by simply providing our time, we are making an impact. A thank you note I once received after donating my time included an impactful quote that sums up my volunteer journey:

“Help one another. There’s no time like the present
and no present like your time.” —James Durst

— Veronica A.

A brand new year is here and we asked Vanguard crew across the organization how they plan to make it count. Read as they share their 2020 aspirations:

Live in the moment

Carrie H.—My goal is to take less notes in meetings. I will aim to be more present, make better eye contact, and only jot down action items to ensure I never drop a ball. This idea came from some recent presentations by Mel Robbins, who encourages women to have a confident and present presence at any table at which we sit.

Kristin T.—My professional and personal resolution is to take more breaks, including breaks from screens. I am most thoughtful, creative, and innovative when I can clear my mind, get outside, and step away from my normal routine. Easier said than done when you work in social media (which is always on), but I hope to make it a priority in 2020.

Expand impact in local communities

Linda T.—I am a member of the Community Outreach Team for Vanguard’s Information Technology Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success (IT WILS), which has organized or sponsored 50 STEM events in the last five years that impacted over 10,000 students ranging from kindergarten to college. Our efforts include supporting, sponsoring and/or hosting Hour of Code in elementary schools, Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology (GETT) for 1,000 middle and high school girls, Techies Day for high school students, as well as college hackathons.

In 2020, I will be representing the IT WILS Community Outreach Team by mentoring the Women in Computer Science club at a local college. Through this experience, I will work with the students to co-host a coding workshop with non-profit organization, TechGirlz. Additionally, I recently volunteered to support the Women in Tech Summit conference in Philadelphia for college and female IT professionals. We need to build the pipeline of future crew by encouraging them to pursue careers in technology. The children are our future!

Strengthen working relationships

Tara T.—My resolution is to go back to doing something I used to prioritize. I plan to set up regular check-ins with business partners to learn more about what their goals are for the year. We often meet only to move a project forward, but by sitting down to learn more about their passions, career goals, and personal lives, we establish meaningful working relationships. These relationships always tend to have the best business results for me, and more importantly, give me the opportunity to get to know my coworkers better.

Laura B.—This year I am going to make an effort to learn more about the individual skills of others on my team. Even if I do not become a technical expert in what they do, I will better understand how much time and effort is involved in their daily work, and I will be able to assist when needed.

If your resolution is to find a more fulfilling career, explore opportunities with Vanguard.   

The end of the year is often a time to reflect on all that’s been accomplished in the last twelve months. We pulled together the top four career stories from 2019. Whether it’s your first read or you’re revisiting a favorite, we hope you enjoy!

12 Vanguard interview tips for experienced professionals

We sat down with five Vanguard recruiters to hear how they coach candidates through the interview process. In this blog, we share 12 ways that experienced professionals can prepare for a Vanguard interview—whether in person or over the phone.

When working in finance isn’t always for finance majors

Annsley opens up about her voyage to Vanguard after college. “To say I was hesitant to join the finance industry is an understatement. Much of my college education was focused on classes like organic chemistry and biomechanics. But my friend assured me that my passion to help people live a better life directly aligned with Vanguard’s mission. With his support along with my family, I took a giant leap of faith, and I couldn’t be happier that I did.”

What a career as a financial advisor looks like at Vanguard

Vanguard’s financial advisors are using time-proven investment methodology to offer investment solutions that lead our clients confidently toward their business or personal financial goals. In this series, our financial advisors share their personal experiences in pursuing a career in this field and the impact they’ve had in driving successful investment results for clients.

Family comes first

Kristen shares a personal story about how Vanguard allowed her to focus on family during a difficult time. “While my personal life was turned on its head, a new leader was assigned to my team. I was experiencing changes both at Vanguard and in my personal life. My first one-on-one was conducted through video conference from my parent’s house. It was during that conversation I finally said the words out loud…my mom had cancer. Not knowing how my new leader would respond, I waited. He took a moment and said, “Family comes first,” a concept I heard Vanguard was known for but never experienced firsthand.”

Inspired? Make your career count—search our opportunities.

In this blog, Amy G., a chief of staff, shares why the Giving Season is important to her. During Vanguard’s Giving Season, crew members around the world join together to help brighten the lives of children, seniors, and families through a variety of activities including raising funds and purchasing toys, books, clothing, and necessities. The Giving Season is one of Vanguard’s many Community Stewardship programs through which crew donate their time, talent, and treasure to help communities have the best chance for success.

Early roots

Ever since I could remember, my parents consistently instilled in my siblings and me the belief that “it’s always better to give than to receive.” One way my parents demonstrated this belief was to participate in a variety of community service events throughout the course of year. When I think back to those events, my mind is instantly flooded with positive memories, and many stemmed from our annual participation in a sponsor-a-child program. I vividly recall as a young child walking up to the Christmas tree at my family’s church to select a “wish kid,” typically a young girl close to my age, for whom I could help ensure her holiday was just as joyous as my own.

Branching out to Vanguard

In 2011, prior to receiving my undergraduate degree and launching into the professional world, I searched determinedly for an employer who was both well regarded in the financial services industry and also demonstrated a strong sense of commitment to community service—a trait central to my own personal values. Luckily, I did not have to look far from the Philadelphia region to find Vanguard, a company with many community stewardship programs that were positively impacting their local communities. One program in particular caught my eye, given the close significance to my childhood memories: Vanguard’s Giving Season.

Seeding more Santa helpers

Fast forward to 2019, I share with enthusiasm that I have participated in the Giving Season at Vanguard each of the last eight years, and that I have been joined by my members of my soccer team. Outside of Vanguard, you can find me on countless soccer fields as a female youth soccer coach for a local Philadelphia club. While I don’t have a specific number of games or tournaments I set out to win, I do have one very specific goal—positively impact as many young girls in the surrounding Philadelphia area, both on and off the field, as possible. I feel that it is my unspoken duty to use my personal experiences and leadership skills as a platform to help influence the lives of my players. I want to make my players better people, not just better athletes.

During each Giving Season, I volunteer my time by signing up to shop for 20 kids who have been sponsored by Vanguard crew, and each of my players has her own child to shop for. My team and I will venture to the local Target and begin a shopping frenzy. I’d describe it as organized chaos, but thankfully I have a group of soccer moms who assist in the process! Overall, my team has an absolute blast while learning the same lesson my parents taught me—“it’s always better to give than to receive.” The best part? When they begin asking if our team will be shopping for children in need again next year.

Vanguard believes that being a global leader also means being a local leader.  Through volunteer Investment Committees, The Vanguard Group Foundation is making grants in the regions around the world that we call home.  The Vanguard Gives Back Hometown Grants Program is charged with funding pressing, local human services needs and working with nonprofit partners that contribute to the vibrancy of the community.  The program is fueled by crew volunteers who commit two years of service dedicated to learning about the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, and the local community landscape.

In this blog, we asked three Vanguard leaders to write about their experiences in serving as site leads for the Hometown Grants Program. The combined efforts of these leaders and their teams have placed $2.3 million into local organizations over their two-year commitment. Here is what Amanda M. from Arizona, Ed F. from North Carolina, and Steve H. from Pennsylvania, had to say:

Vanguard has long had a culture around community that you are no stranger to, what drew you into this particular opportunity with Hometown Grants?

Ed: Hometown Grants enabled me to take my passion for impacting our local community to a much deeper, grass-roots level.  Having previously been involved in Vanguard Gives Back initiatives in Charlotte, including leading our workplace giving campaign and our volunteer efforts, Hometown Grants provided an opportunity to start-up a hyper-local focused program from scratch, which is pretty cool.  While we were provided with some loose guardrails and guidelines, we were also given a significant amount of autonomy to figure out the best strategy that would have meaningful impact in the Charlotte community.

Steve: In 2012, I had the honor of serving as the lead for the crew fall charitable giving campaign. Not only did that experience tap into my longstanding passion for service, it opened my eyes to the incredible impact Vanguard can have in the community. I was very excited about the Hometown Grants program because it was yet another way to harness the energy and passion of Vanguard crew to make a meaningful difference in our communities, but I was also intrigued by the entrepreneurial nature of this new venture.

What skills have you developed through your participation in this initiative and how have you applied these skills both inside and outside of the office?

Amanda: Debating which organization to fund can be a sensitive and emotional topic. My peers and I all have preferences on which charitable cause is the most important and those often differ from the priorities of others. Plus, when you find so many organizations doing great work, it can be hard to reduce the list to a manageable few. Learning how to listen with empathy and understanding was critical to ensure each team member was heard and team health remained strong. Outside of work, it has given me a platform to talk to my kids about philanthropy. Now, when we debrief our day at the dinner table, I am talking to them about organizations I went to visit or work that is being done in the community. It’s been rewarding to talk to them about the importance of giving back and about some of the neat initiatives that are happening in our neighborhood.

Ed: Most importantly, I gained a deeper understanding of the Charlotte community and the critical issues our city is facing.  Upward mobility remains a challenge even as Charlotte continues to have one of the highest rates of highly educated new residents moving to our city.  I have met and learned from some very influential non-profit partners who provide critical services in our community often with few resources or limited budgets.  I am looking forward to continuing my work post-Hometown Grants, whether it be through volunteerism or board involvement.  Hometown Grants also enabled me to hone my leadership and finance skills as we have conducted research, reviewed non-profit financials and tax-filings, and conducted on-site visits to select the non-profit agencies we partner with.

What has been the biggest takeaway in serving as a site lead for the program?

Amanda: There is always a need for more work to be done in the community than there are hours in the day to support or dollars to fund. It is not hard to find an important cause that will improve our community. The hard part is prioritizing which organizations to focus on. It took a lot of time to research, really get to know these teams and the impact they are trying to make. Then ultimately determining where we could have the biggest impact. And there is no “right” answer. It is only part science, the rest is art.

Steve: In the past two years, the work of the Hometown Grants team exposed us to countless organizations that are making an incredible difference in communities. There are so many worthy, effective, innovative charitable organizations out there doing great work, we could have funded many more groups than we were able to. But I believe our team did a tremendous job of honing in on the key organizations that both had amazing impact and could best benefit from the dollars we had. The most rewarding parts of the job were when we heard the profound gratitude from these groups for our contributions, and the excitement they expressed about how they were going to put the money to work. You feel the very tangible benefit of all the hard work the committee put in.

More careers blogs about Vanguard in the community

Why you should raise your hand for that volunteer opportunity at work

Serving in both my day job and night job

It’s the season of giving at Vanguard

“Vanguard?! You mean the company that manages my retirement savings?”  This is the usual response I hear when I tell people where I work now.  I have to admit, starting my career as a preschool teacher and social worker seems like a long way from being a crew member at Vanguard. However it’s exactly the base of knowledge and skills I need to serve in my current role as a Program Officer, co-leading the Vanguard Strong Start for Kids™ grant making portfolio.

Where I Started

It was 1996, and I was entering the fall semester of my junior year in college.  I’d spent the summer before as a camp counselor at a local child care center in my hometown, and I was just entering my major in early childhood education.  I’d gotten a job as a preschool assistant teacher at a child care center not far from my college campus, and I LOVED it. I loved working with the lead teacher to plan lessons that used play as a learning tool, working with families to understand their child’s progress and development, and using what I was learning in my teacher training program to guide how I interacted with the children in my care. I didn’t know then, but those first days in that classroom would set the foundation for my professional career across multiple settings.

After graduating and teaching pre-kindergarten for a while, I moved into one-on-one case management helping low-income families’ access public dollars for child care. From there, I spent several years working at child advocacy organizations helping to shape public policies that benefitted young children and families at the state and federal level. While not exactly the same as a teacher-student relationship, these positions continued to build the foundation of understanding that’s needed to steward philanthropic dollars into the early learning sector.

Vanguard Strong Start for Kids Program

While it seems like my experiences might be far from the core business of Vanguard, they’re actually quite similar. Vanguard’s crew are charged with acting as stewards of our clients’ hopes and dreams through smart, sensible, and aligned investment management. And we also are encouraged to be stewards within our communities, so it made sense that the signature crew and corporate philanthropic program would employ Vanguard’s long-held strategy: investing early pays off later. The Strong Start for Kids mission is to boost kindergarten-readiness for low income young children, primarily within Philadelphia, PA, Charlotte, NC, and Phoenix, AZ (our biggest U.S. sites).  Empirical evidence shows that investing in high-quality programs for young children and families in the 0-5 years is necessary for developing educated, healthy, productive citizens that thrive in a global economy.

Equally as important as a long-term societal benefit is the fact that high quality early learning opportunities change the trajectory of individual lives and families. I have seen the impact of high-quality opportunities as an early learning professional and I also see it every day as the parent of two young daughters. Children develop the foundation of their cognitive abilities and character during their first five years. Their brains are literally being built by all of the experiences happening in their lives – good or bad! Nurturing relationships that make children feel safe and loved, while enabling them to experience the world around them, builds stronger brains. By supporting organizations and projects that enhance parent/caregiver skills, improve learning opportunities outside of homes, and coordinate services so that families have easier access, the Strong Start for Kids program works to help young children build the foundation for learning they need to thrive.

I always knew that my life’s calling had to do with educating, empowering, and uplifting young children and their families. I didn’t know that calling would play out like it has and, ultimately, lead me to Vanguard. I’m lucky to work at an organization where my passion for building community aligns with company values.

-Rashanda P.