The Kettering Foundation’s Dayton Democracy Fellowship is a program that supports innovative leaders, changemakers, and dreamers who are building movements for inclusive democracy in their communities and in our wider world. This series of articles about the Dayton Democracy Fellows highlights their robust work and the powerful narratives that drive the advancement and defense of democracy.

Dayton Democracy Fellow Erica Fields brings a passion for education and helping others as senior director of strategic initiatives for Learn to Earn Dayton. The nonprofit works with organizations to help them provide resources and opportunities to foster long-term success. The goal, Fields said, is to work with districts, community-based organizations, and state and local governments to improve the lives of students along with their families. 

“We know that it’s really important for us not to be just focusing on what’s happening in the classroom but to ask, how are we making sure that our students and families are living in safe, supportive neighborhoods with access to healthy foods and stable housing?” Fields said. “A large portion of what we do at Learn to Earn Dayton is looking into how we change those systems so that they are supporting students and their family’s ability to thrive.” 

Fields’ parents were teachers for 40 years; she is also the mother of a 4-year-old, so she is particularly interested in the impact of education. To improve third-grade literacy rates across the region, Learn to Earn Dayton partnered with the University of Dayton and community-based organizations to bring high-impact tutoring to two local school districts. 

Other issues, seemingly disconnected from education, have an impact on learning nonetheless. Learn to Earn Dayton is piloting an Access to Counsel program. “We’re working with advocates for basic legal equality to provide free legal representation for families facing eviction. The more transient you are as a family, the less likely [students will] do well in school,” she said. 

It is particularly important that people advocate for themselves, she said, and civic engagement initiatives help those in need make themselves heard. “We really want the organizations we work with to think differently around prioritizing resident voices. . . . Leadership is something that we always talk about. It’s those individuals who are closest to the issue who need to have, and should have, the ability to lead.” 

In August, Learn to Earn Dayton launched its Civic Leadership Program, an eight-month training program to help residents understand how to speak up and get action on community problems. Modeled after School Board School—a nonprofit organization creating a network of people who have historically been affected by, but not included in, the work of educational leadership—the Civic Leadership Program is a free program for Dayton residents to learn about community opportunities. Fields intends to use her fellowship award to help eliminate barriers for people to participate in the sessions and to bring in guest presenters. 

Fields said her 12 years working for the city of Dayton’s Human Relations Council, which enforced the city’s antidiscrimination ordinances, helped her understand the need for people to navigate the system and advocate for themselves. For many, the process is intimidating, and perhaps a mystery. “Understanding how to interact with your elected officials, how to navigate those systems, coming to advocate at a commission meeting . . . these are things that we think of as a fairly easy process, right? But it’s not. We want this to be accessible.” 

Becoming a parent has motivated Fields to work harder for others. 

“Navigating that education space as a parent gave me a whole different perspective. It is a motivator for me. I have access to these rooms . . . and if I am having these challenges, I can’t imagine what it is like for a family who might not have [a seat] at the table.” 

Maura Casey is a former editorial writer for the New York Times and has worked with the Kettering Foundation since 2010.