The Faces of ECE series is designed to raise awareness of the many early care and education professionals who are supporting one of the most important fields in America today. From the people on the front lines working with children to those working behind the scenes to prop the system up from within, everybody has a role to play and a story to tell. Child Care Matters is committed to sharing those stories.

The ECE community is a tight-knit group full of passionate, high-performing, dedicated professionals who pour years or even decades of their lives into improving the system from the inside. As a relative newcomer to the space, one of the most surprising things in my first year was just how connected everyone seemed to be. Case in point: Keller Anne Ruble. 

One of my earliest impressions of Keller Anne was at an Opportunities Exchange conference in Orlando, Florida. It was quite literally my first day on the job, and I was feeling the typical first-day combination of excitement, nerves, and a general desire to hook myself up to the firehose of industry knowledge and experience surrounding me. To say I was feeling out of my depth would be an understatement. Keller Anne, on the other hand, floated between groups and conversations like it was a casual social gathering of lifelong friends. If I had a question about something a panelist or speaker said, Keller Anne not only clarified the point for me, but seemed to know a whole other level of context and backstory that wasn’t even being discussed in the session. 

As I’ve gotten to know Keller Anne better, I’ve come to realize that’s just who they are. That level of expertise, that unassuming confidence, and that universal respect from peers and colleagues I witnessed at the conference can’t be faked; it can only be earned by working in the system,  seeing it from many different angles, and consistently showing a keen eye for how to make it better. For this installment of Faces of ECE, I have the great pleasure of sharing some of that expertise and perspective with you. 

Enjoy! 

Background and Introduction

John Jennings: Hello and welcome this installment of Faces of ECE from Child Care Matters. Would you  mind letting us know a little bit about who you are, what you do, and maybe give us a little background about your experience in the early care and education space?

John: Wow, that’s quite a varied background! Of all the things you just mentioned, what would you say you’re most passionate about? Is there any one part of the system you feel especially attached to? 

Keller Anne: Definitely family economic security. When we support families pre-pregnancy through the earliest years, that helps labor force participation, it helps child food security, it helps them be more healthy, it is shown to improve their college attendance rates, reduce child and teen pregnancy rates, the list goes on. It is the foundation of what strong, healthy families look like. 

Philanthropy and the Business Community

John: Going back to your time at Gary Community Ventures, can you tell us a little bit about philanthropy in ECE? Where does the money come from, who decides where it goes, and how do you track impact? 

John: Can you offer any insight into philanthropic best practices? In your experience, what works, what doesn’t, and what can investors do to ensure the most bang for their buck? 

John: What is some of the work you’re most proud of from your time in philanthropy?

Keller Anne: There’s a lot that I’m proud of. We helped support ballot initiatives like the Universal Preschool Program, which has improved 4-year-old Pre-K access in Colorado from 28th in 2020 to 3rd now. We (the collective “we”), also started an initiative called Futurebound that was an innovation ecosystem where we helped seed some early childhood innovation companies that were supporting children and families in various ways. That’s actually how I became familiar with BridgeCare and Jamee and JC, and all the work they were doing to help families find and connect to child care. Even though it was a shorter-lived project, that opened a lot of doors for where I am now. 

John: Earlier this year, you participated in a panel at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Forward conference about child care and the workforce. What are some of the ways in which ECE and business interests align in communities? 

State and Federal Policy

John: You mentioned your experience in the realm of policy—what’s something that would surprise our readers about how the system functions at those levels? 

Keller Anne: I think one thing that might surprise people about how decisions are made is that sometimes it’s a little more Veep than it is The West Wing. 

…In all seriousness, though, I was struck by how passionate and how dedicated the people doing the work in our state agencies are. They take a lot of pride in what they do. There’s a lot of really great work that happens in government beyond just the legislative offices. It’s often a thankless job, subject to the whims of politicians, but it helps our day-to-day lives in so many ways that we don’t even see. 

John: You talked earlier about evidence-based initiatives. What are some of the biggest barriers to translating research and evidence into policy and practice?

John: Let’s talk about systems thinking. We often refer to child care as a “system of systems” - what are some of the challenges associated with fragmentation today, and what are some examples of state and/or federal agencies moving in the right direction? 

Current Role and Promising Trends

John: Tell us about your current role as a Solutions Architect for BridgeCare. What does that entail? 

Keller Anne: My role encompasses a lot of different things. I serve as subject matter expert both internally and with clients. I do a lot of strategic consulting with our clients to translate what they’re trying to achieve and why into how they can best get there with our software. I support our product and engineering teams by serving as the client voice—what are people asking for, and how can we make it happen? I make sure our clients at every level are staying compliant with changing state and federal requirements, keeping our software really responsive to the needs of our users. I also get to do really cool things like this, going to conferences, hosting webinars, educating clients on new features and best practices, etc…  Not to brag, but my job is really cool and I love it.

John: You have had a front-row seat to some of the more innovative approaches to child care access and affordability over the past few years—what are some of the common themes among initiatives that are moving the needle? 

Keller Anne: The most common theme when it comes to improving child care access and affordability is a very simple answer: it’s money. When the system is more well-funded, families and children benefit. 

We’re seeing a rise of local subsidies that are filling the gaps left by federal and state funding sources. It’s been amazing to watch communities come together to make child care more accessible for families. One of my favorite examples is the Larimer Child Care Fund, which is a program in Larimer County, Colorado for families that earn too much to qualify for other child care subsidies but still need help reducing the cost of care so they can make their budgets work. Participating families are saving $800-$900/ month that can go to food, clothing, enrichment activities, or just a little bit more breathing room. That fund is powered by individual donations, business donations, and it’s been really exciting to a lot of people as the realization dawns about how the community grows when families can have access to child care. 

John: Do you have any big projects on the horizon you’d like our readers to know about?

Want to stay up to date on what Keller Anne is working on? Send a connection request on LinkedIn here!