The Rotary Club of Warren met Tuesday, April 7 in its first meeting of the month inside the Fellowship Hall at First Methodist Church. The meeting was originally scheduled for April 14 but moved up due to a scheduling conflict. The group heard from Warren High School Junior Rotarians Mattie West and Mckinleigh Meeks to kick the meeting off. Both talked about their current accolades and future plans. The meeting then transitioned to the main program as Rotarian Carlton Davis introduced Jessica Griffin, who is the Local Lead Captain for Early Childhood Education at the Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative. Griffin spoke to the club last year right after getting this role and is now more than a year into it. Griffin spoke about how early childhood education can be overlooked and how the LEARNS Act is working to help solve this issue. Some of her responsibilities include supporting access for early childhood programs, identifying gaps in services, fostering local partnerships, creating alignment in the communities, and establishing a local plan to ensure all children are ready for kindergarten. She will begin doing observations in the 2026-27 school year and is excited about strengthening the partnerships with early childhood educators in Ashley, Bradley, and Drew counties. She mentioned that there are six licensed childcare facilities in Bradley County, with only one being open enrollment from birth to five years old. She is very passionate about early childhood education and noted that more brain development occurs by age three than at any other point in a person’s life. She answered a few questions before a special presentation to her. Last year after speaking to Rotary and hearing about the Rotary Club’s involvement with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, she donated a substantial amount of money to support the program.
The Rotary Club of Warren then donated $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation in her name so she could earn Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Davis announced her as an honorary Rotarian in the Warren club and presented the PHF recognition to her to conclude the program. The next meeting is scheduled for April 28.
