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Press Release: GivingTuesday 2025 | Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAEP Launches Extended GivingTuesday Fundraiser: Joining Millions to Invest in Early Head Start (Dec 2 – Dec 31, 2025)

Los Angeles, CA (November 15, 2025): The Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP)is launching its First Three Years campaign, joining millions around the world who are participating in the global generosity movement of GivingTuesday. LAEP’s fundraising effort will run from December 2 through December 31, 2025, dedicated to ensuring the infants, toddlers, and pregnant individuals enrolled in its Early Head Start (EHS) programs receive the critical health, nutrition, and developmental resources necessary for lifelong success.

GivingTuesday is a global movement that inspires people to support the causes they care about. LAEP participates because it firmly believes in the power of collective giving to advance educational equity from the very beginning of a child’s life.

“The first three years are the most crucial window to invest in a child’s health and learning. Navigating the current climate of cuts to educational and childcare funding, LAEP’s commitment is strained. Your support for this campaign, running through December 31, 2025, is essential to ensure our Early Head Start remains open and continues to provide vital, consistent services to our dedicated team, students, and families. We are challenging our community to provide the equitable resources our EHS families need—from nutritious meals to essential developmental tools,” stated Dr. Dawn A. Kurtz, CEO of LAEP. “Every contribution is an investment that guarantees our smallest learners have the strongest possible start. The generosity of our supporters will directly impact the lives of countless families and future leaders.”

LAEP’s First Three Years campaign is raising funds to directly provide high-impact resources to EHS participants. Below are examples of how one can support the movement throughout December:

  • Sharing: Share our newsletter, webpage, or social media graphics with your network to amplify the need for early childhood resources.
  • $50: Provides developmentally appropriate toys and essential learning materials for one child.
  • $100: 1 Month of Diapers
  • $250: 1 Month of Formula
  • $300: Covers the cost of new cap and gowns for 15 excited, graduating EHS children.
  • $300: Ensures 15 children have vital nutritious snacks for a critical duration.
  • $500: Funds a full developmental kit, including health screenings and educational supplies, for a new EHS family OR secures the professional photographer for a memorable EHS graduation ceremony.
  • $800: Provides backpacks and essential giveaways for 15 graduating children, ensuring they are prepared for the transition to kindergarten.
  • $1,000 = Sensory Bins, Books, and Materials for 1 Learning Classroom
  • $1,000 = Nutritious Meals and Snacks for 30 infants and toddlers for 1 Week
  • $2,500 = Graduation Ceremony for 15 TK-Ready Learners (includes Cap, Gown, Diploma, Backpacks and more)
  • $5,000: Supports professional development and high-quality training for EHS educators.

GivingTuesday inspires people all around the world to embrace their power to drive progress around the causes they care about.

Those who are interested in joining Los Angeles Education Partnership’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit www.laep.org/donate.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/laepcommunity/  #PartnerwithLAEP #LAEP

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/los-angeles-education-partnership/  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laepcommunity

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PartnerwithLAEP

Media Contact: LaCora Stephens (213) 622-5237 ext. 233 // lstephens@laep.org

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About Los Angeles Education Partnership

The Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance educational equity. Together with families, schools, and the community, LAEP facilitates access to and opportunities for quality educational and wellness practices so that children thrive from diapers to diplomas. For more information about Los Angeles Education Partnership, please visit www.laep.org.

About GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eleven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity around the globe. More information at www.givingtuesday.org

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Melissa Peña

Chief Program Officer

Melissa Peña serves as the Chief Program Officer at the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), bringing more than two decades of experience advancing educational equity, youth development, and community-centered systems change. A mission-driven and strategic leader, she has dedicated her career to eliminating barriers to learning and seeking equitable outcomes for historically underserved youth. Prior to joining LAEP, Melissa spent over 14 years at Green Dot Public Schools where she launched and scaled high-impact initiatives that reduced chronic absenteeism by 27%, expanded access to wellness services, and built network-wide support systems for more than 600 homeless and foster youth across 18 schools. Her leadership is rooted in both entrepreneurial vision and disciplined execution—designing programs, teams, and infrastructure that strengthen outcomes for students while supporting the adults who serve them. 

Melissa’s commitment to equity has shaped her work across roles in education, youth development, and human services, including senior leadership positions at The Door in New York City and national diversity recruitment efforts at Teach For America. She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher in Newark, New Jersey, a formative experience that continues to ground her belief that the key to ensuring every young person meets their full potential lies in the power of family–school–community partnerships. At LAEP, Melissa leads program strategy with empathy, clarity, and a deep belief that children thrive when systems work together from “diapers to diplomas.” She holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. Outside of work, she enjoys researching her family history, exploring nature, and family movie nights with her husband and two children. 

LaCora Stephens

Marketing and Communications

LaCora is a seasoned communications professional with a passion for using multimedia storytelling to empower movements for social justice and equality. For over 13 years, she has honed her skills as a versatile multimedia director, overseeing media operations across diverse organizations, including the NAACP Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch and The Shirley Chisholm Education Foundation. Her deep understanding of the education and equity landscape fuels her creative vision, allowing her to craft impactful narratives that resonate with audiences.

With strategic communication​ and collaboration, LaCora excels in developing and executing compelling​ multimedia campaigns that not only raise​ awareness of critical issues but also​ inspire action and drive meaningful change. Her proficiency in concept​ development, production execution, and​ team leadership ensures projects are​ delivered with exceptional quality. Furthermore, LaCora fosters strong​ relationships with internal and external​ stakeholders, cultivating partnerships​ that maximize campaign reach and impact.

LaCora's educational foundation began with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Education from Florida A&M University. She then pursued a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Alliant University of San Diego. This passion for storytelling, fueled by her background in education, translates to her belief in the power of shared narratives. Her work in this area was recognized through her selection as a Women in Film Mentee and film director for Viola Davis’ sponsored film showcase, Diversity in Cannes. Now, LaCora leverages her love of storytelling and commitment to educational equity in her role leading marketing and communications for Los Angeles Education Partnership, while also serving on the board of the Pasadena African American Film Foundation.

Eric Barela, Ph.D.

Senior Consultant, Raya Cooper Impact Consulting

Dr. Eric Barela has worked as a measurement & evaluation professional for over 2 decades, helping organizations to better understand and act on their social impact. He’s currently a Senior Consultant with Raya Cooper Impact Consulting and previously worked at Salesforce, where he led efforts to measure the social impact of the company’s work with nonprofits and educational institutions across the globe. He began his career working with the Los Angeles Unified School District and with the nonprofit, Partners in School Innovation. Eric previously served on the Board of the American Evaluation Association and currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the American Journal of Evaluation.

Eric grew up in East LA and was educated in the Montebello Unified School District. He holds a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. He loves a good road trip, with his husband serving as trusty navigator.