January 2025: Liftoff kicked off the year strong with the launch of our volunteer advocacy program, Onboard. Onboard is a flexible, inclusive pathway to early childhood advocacy that invites multi-sector partners to use their voice on behalf of young children. Learn more here.
February 2025: On February 11th, Liftoff WNY along with a bus full of community leaders including parents, early childhood professionals, service providers, and medical professionals headed to Albany for Kids Can’t Wait Advocacy Day. Joining advocates from across the state, our team urged policymakers to prioritize young children with delays and disabilities. Once in Albany, our advocates met with eleven WNY Senate and Assembly offices to educate and amplify this year’s priorities. Listen to what our advocates had to say here.
March 2025: The Liftoff team met with Ben Tsujimoto of The Buffalo News for his front-page story, “Early intervention experts urge change for vital field”. “It’s devastating to children, it’s devastating to their families, and it’s devastating to the community because the early years are filled with so much promise and so much potential. That’s the best time to have these interventions happen, because we know brain development happens 90% before you get to kindergarten,” Liftoff WNY Director, Rachel Bonsignore. Find the full article, here.
April 2025: Liftoff’s Learning and Advocacy Coordinator Megan Battista spoke alongside Mark Poloncarz (Erie County Executive), Lisa Chimera (Deputy County Executive), Chelsea Lonberger (Youth Outreach Service Manager, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library) and Kim Suminski (Executive Director, Child Care Resource Network) at the 2025 Week of the Young Child kickoff press conference. Please find Megan’s remarks which elevate the importance of developmental screenings for all young children here.
May 2025: In May, Liftoff gathered with early childhood funders from coast to coast at ECFC’s annual convening in Alexandria, VA. The gathering was an important opportunity to align, reflect, and innovate together. Collectively, we explored how moments of disruption can spark new ways of imagining systems that truly serve all children and families. The event offered space for thought partnership, strategy, and a shared commitment to the work ahead. For more on Liftoff’s partnership with the ECFC here.
June 2025: In June, Liftoff celebrated 6-months of Onboard by hitting a milestone of 50 Onboard Ambassadors! Our ambassadors come from all over Western New York and represent a diverse network of parents, early childhood experts, medical professionals, philanthropic partners and higher education and business leaders. Onboard Ambassadors have an opportunity to be a voice for young children not only in our community but across New York State, promoting more equitable outcomes for all children. Curious to learn more?
July 2025: On a hot summer Saturday, Megan Battista joined Help Me Grow WNY, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Lead 716, Erie County’s Office of Health Equity and more to celebrate Diversity Day with Brown Kids with Disabilities. It was a joyful day celebrating community, sharing resources, providing healing opportunities and having fun! Learn more here.
August 2025: Liftoff spent most of August in planning mode working alongside The Children’s Guild Foundation and Buffalo State University for our upcoming September, “Building the Future: Expanding the Early Childhood Special Education Workforce” event. This event created space for professionals dedicated to delivering high-quality Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education services to discuss innovative ways to bolster the workforce pipeline, focusing on new graduates, mid-career professionals, and retirees. New York State is 48th out of 50 states for timely provision of Early Intervention services. “What an opportunity”, Megan Battista shared at the event. Looking to take action on Early Intervention? Join us in February for Kids Can’t Wait Advocacy Day in Albany .
September 2025: In September, we held our first in-person lunch and learn, “Strong Foundations: Housing as a Building Block of Early Childhood Development”. The event panel featured NYS Senator Sean Ryan, Dr. Jeff Kaczorowski, Chair of the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, Kexin Ma, Executive Director of the WNY Homeless Alliance and Jenn Kegler, Youth Program and Outreach Manager of Family Promise. Before the event, Dr. Kaczorowski facilitated a learning session during a VIP Onboard lunch about opportunities for advocacy in the upcoming legislative session. Watch a short video from the event from our partners at the WNY Homeless Alliance.
October 2025: Liftoff’s Director Rachel Bonsignore was a featured guest alongside partners from The Children’s Agenda and Start Early Illinois on WXXI News ‘Connections with Evan Dawson’ to talk about NYS’s Early Intervention Program. The group discussed a lawsuit filed against the state for failing to adequately support early intervention services and for not meeting legal requirements around setting and adjusting provider rates. While NYS continues working to address the waitlist crisis that prevents families from receiving timely services, Rachel reminded listeners that there are many opportunities to strengthen the EI system, especially if we are willing to reimagine how we meet the needs of young children and their families. Listen to the broadcast.
November 2025: Building on six years of impact across Western New York, Liftoff has been engaged in a Strategic ‘Refresh’ process during the second half of 2025. This November we gathered in person with long-standing members of our steering committee for a retreat that offered meaningful time for collaboration, clarity, and strengthening relationships. We are excited to see how these outcomes will shape Liftoff’s future. Follow us on LinkedIn for timely updates.
December 2025: To wrap up the year, Liftoff headed to The Buffalo History Museum for, “Lasting Change: Help Me Grow WNY Dashboard Launch and Idea Lab”. The event included a presentation and a hands-on Data Walk, where Megan Battista shared the importance of data-driven policy advocacy. Congratulations to our partners at Help Me Grow and CCNY Inc. for their commitment to sharing data transparently for the purpose of better serving children and caregivers in our community. Learn more about the dashboard here.
