Project Overview
Third Sector collaborated with Small Magic, an early childhood nonprofit, to establish a Provider Council. This involved creating a sustainable governance framework, establishing decisionmaking protocols, and implementing efficient communication channels. The project successfully built a strategic foundation, outlining a clear path for future implementation and ensuring the cabinet’s sustained effectiveness. This council will function as a coordinated body, fostering cross-sector collaboration among local community partners and providers, with the goal of enhancing outcomes for children and families in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Young children are naturally eager to explore the world around them, a delicate endeavor that requires dedicated, qualified experts to design and deliver programs fit for sensitive beings with strong emotions and boundless curiosity. Early childhood providers are experts who should be central to transforming the way our government and other systems deliver quality early childhood services. They know what it takes to foster a child's strengths and cater to their unique needs. However, despite their expertise, providers are often excluded from critical decisionmaking processes within early childhood systems.
In Jefferson County, Alabama, the early childhood system reflects many nationwide dynamics: multiple funding streams, diverse providers, and growing potential for collaboration. This environment offers a significant opportunity to build stronger alignment between providers and local and state policymakers. Early childhood providers bring invaluable insight and expertise that can inform more effective policy and funding decisions to ensure early care and education is high-quality, affordable, and accessible. Yet, their exclusion from system-level decisionmaking about the services they deliver prevents the county from being able to implement creative, informed solutions that benefit the entire early childhood ecosystem.
Recognizing these systemic issues, Small Magic, an early childhood education social enterprise based in Birmingham, Alabama, is working to ensure that the county prepares all children for kindergarten and future economic mobility. In 2025, Small Magic partnered with Third Sector to establish a Provider Council designed to build early childhood providers’ influence in shaping policies and funding decisions, unite stakeholders, and equip members with the necessary tools, training, and support to lead.
In 2025, Third Sector and Small Magic began a partnership to explore the design of a participatory governance structure that would serve as a cross-sector collaborative body among local community partners and other stakeholders to improve outcomes for children and families in Jefferson County, Alabama. Through a series of workshops and interviews over six months culminating in a two-day design session, we engaged local community partners to create a clear governance structure and organize diverse community stakeholders into a cohesive council. A key goal was to develop a sustainable governance framework by clearly defining roles, establishing decisionmaking protocols, and implementing effective communication channels. Ultimately, the project built a strong strategic foundation, providing a roadmap for future implementation and ensuring the council's long-term success.
Project Highlights:
- Centering Provider Leadership: Designed to put early childhood providers at the center of decisionmaking
- Co-designed Governance: The structure was co-designed through six months of deep engagement with providers, educators, public agencies, and community partners.
- Sustainable Frameworks: A strong governance structure that includes clear roles, decisionmaking protocols, and communications channels, coupled with a mentorship program and phased training model to build member capacity and ensure long-term success
- Shifting Power: A strategic transition from a backbone-led structure to authentic, provider-led governance. Small Magic will initially convene and facilitate the council, with the long-term goal of shifting decisionmaking authority entirely to the council members themselves.
- Future Impact: Launching in 2026 to drive systemic change and improve outcomes for children and families in Jefferson County
- National Model: Draws on best practices from early childhood councils and participatory governance structures nationwide
The Small Magic Provider Council, slated to launch in 2026, will function as a participatory governance structure intentionally shaped to center early childhood providers in decisionmaking, policy influence, and systems change in Jefferson County, Alabama. Rather than just a forum for provider voices, the Council is a long-term strategy to shift power, improve collaboration, and strengthen the provider voice in funding, policy, and program decisions. It is designed with organized and intentional opportunities for providers across the system (family, school, and center-based) to align, collaborate, build trust, and identify shared priorities. Our work centered on laying the groundwork for a strong and effective council, prioritizing a phased training model beginning with foundational training to equip members with a shared understanding and essential skills, and then gradually phasing in more complex advocacy work as their confidence and readiness grow, ensuring greater member retention, deepening engagement, and systematically building capacity among diverse providers. The council also actively fosters connections through peer mentorship circles to cultivate a supportive environment.
For more information about Third Sector's work with Small Magic or Early Childhood efforts, please contact Kesha Lee (klee@thirdsectorcap.org).
Early Childhood Development
| Project Name | Scope | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engaging Local Communities to Strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education Across Minnesota | State | MN | Complete |
| Third Sector partnered with SRI Education to support the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families in its work to strengthen local early childhood care and education systems. Working in seven communities across the state, we launched a series of “Mixed-Delivery Action Labs” that enabled local child care, public health, business, and community leaders to collaboratively develop solutions to child care challenges. Third Sector designed and facilitated these action labs, which incorporated Human Centered Design (HCD) and Community Co-Design practices to help local educators develop systems-strengthening projects, build connections within and across communities, enhance collaboration with state leaders, and implement “quick wins” to immediately help children and families thrive, no matter where they get their child care. | |||
| Maryland Child Care Stabilization Funding (ARPA) | State | MD | Closed |
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Third Sector partnered with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to develop their funding formula for their second round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) child care stabilization grants, including analysis incentives and bonuses that could be included in the funding formula that address racial equity and target improving access and supply of high quality infant and toddler child care.
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