League Days 2025 - Successful Delaware: Healthy, Housed and Educated

League Days 2025 - Successful Delaware: Healthy, Housed and Educated

Type: 
Blog Post

Successful Delaware: Healthy, Housed, and Educated (League Days 2024 logo)The League of Women Voters sponsors an annual League Day presentation in Dover, Delaware, followed by a group visit to meet with lawmakers at Legislative Hall. The theme of League Days 2025 is "Successful Delaware: Healthy, Housed, and Educated." This year's program will have four sessions: three online presentations focusing on each of the subject areas individually, and then the in-person Dover event to tie it all together.

Session 1: Healthcare

This online panel discussion entitled "The Silver Tsunami and the Healthcare Workforce: What Keeps You up at Night?" was held on Thursday February 6. This 90-minute discussion examined Delaware’s healthcare workforce challenges arising from the rapid and ongoing influx of seniors into Delaware (“the Silver Tsunami”). The panelists covered their specialty areas, what most keeps them up at night, and initiatives they’re working on, and recommendations for legislative action that will improve the healthcare workforce for Delaware seniors.

Moderators and Panelists:
  • Judy Butler, Health Care Portfolio Chair, LWVDE Advocacy Corps.
  • Tim Gibbs, Director and Principal Investigator for the Delaware Health Force. Previously Executive Director of the Delaware Academy of Medicine/ Delaware Public Health Association.
  • Christopher E. Otto, Executive Director of the Delaware Nurses Association, representing DE Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses 
  • Sue Getman, Executive Director of the Delaware Association for Home & Community Care.  Former director of the Wilmington Senior Center and the Mid-County Senior Center.
  • Cheryl Heiks, Executive Director of the Delaware Healthcare Facilities Association and a member of the Advisory Council for the Delaware Health Force. 


Session 2: Education

The League Days 2025 online session focused on Education wasbe held at 7pm on Monday, March 3, 2025. During this online discussion, titled "Opportunities for Success through Early Care & Education (ECE) - It’s Not Just about Kids!," participants examined the crisis facing Delaware over available, affordable, quality options for Early Care & Education (ECE) that benefit our youngest citizens, their families, and their communities. Our moderator and panelists gave brief overviews of their specialties, where the greatest impact of this crisis lies, and initiatives they are working on. The panel discussion closed with possible proposals for legislative action that will improve the ECE workforce for all Delaware.

Moderators and Panelists:
  • Susan Mitchell, Education Portfolio Chair, LWVDE Advocacy Corps.
  • Keda Dorisca, LWVDE Advocacy Corps Education Portfolio member; Rodel Community Partnerships Manager.
  • Madeleine Bayar, Rodel Senior Vice President; Chair of the state Early Childhood Council; Delaware Commissioner and National Executive Committee member of the Education Commission of the States.
  • Dr. Lisa Lawson, past early childhood teacher; past Brandywine School District Superintendent; DE Public Education Funding Commission member; Legislative Chair of the Delaware Association of School Administrators.
  • Jamie Schneider, Public Policy Chair for the Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children; CEO of Educational Enrichment Center, a childcare center in north Wilmington.


Session 3: Housing

The third League Days 2025 online session, The Housing Crisis in Delaware, was held at 7pm on March 20, 2025. During this discussion, participants examined the crisis facing Delaware over available, affordable, quality housing options for all Delawareans. Our panelists focused on the evolution of the crisis, its impact on the workforce and families, and current efforts to address the crisis. The panel discussion closed with possible proposals for legislative action that will improve housing opportunities for all of Delaware.

Moderators and Panelists:
  • Vicki Sessoms, Housing Portfolio, LWVDE Advocacy Corps.
  • Karen Speakman, Executive Director of NeighborGood Partners (formerly NCALL). Past President of the DE Chapter of National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
  • Sen. Russell Huxtable represents Delaware’s Sixth Senate District. He has over 20 years of experience in affordable housing nonprofits, including NCALL Research, Interfaith Housing Alliance, and Milford Housing Development Corp.
  • Matthew Heckles, DE Housing Cabinet Director and Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA). Past Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
  • David Edgell, Director of the Office of State Planning Coordination (OSPC); past Principal Planner focused on Kent County; prior staff lead for the Downtown Development Districts program.


League Day in Dover - Successful Delaware: Healthy, Housed and Educated

Join us on Tuesday, April 8 at Christ Church Parish Hall (South State and Water Streets, Dover, DE) for the final session - League Day in Dover, with a morning presentation, followed by lunch and an afternoon of lobbying. Invited legislators and experts will work with us in the morning to recommend timely legislation to address Delaware’s overlapping needs to build our healthcare workforce and provide adequate housing and early care and education.

The April 8 in-person event runs from 9am to 1:30pm. $45 registration fee covers breakfast and lunch. Find details and a registration form for the April 8 in-person event here: Successful Delaware: Healthy, Housed, and Educated (League Day in Dover 2025) | MyLO

Access to affordable housing and early care and education, and accessible healthcare, are foundational for upward mobility and a healthy, economically stable population. When these elements are in place, individuals and families improve their circumstances, and the state attracts a quality workforce. Together, these factors combine to improve economic outcomes for all Delawareans and for the state.  

Register now for our April 8 League Day in Dover event and come help us discover solutions.

 

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Delaware