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Eye on Early Education | Child Education Blog - Education & Personal Development
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Happy holidays!
Strategies for Children will close for winter break from Monday, December 23, 2024, through Friday, January 3, 2025. We will be back in action on Monday, January 6, 2025, starting with The 9:30 Call. Please join us!We wish you good health, well deserved rest, and time with your loved ones this holiday season. ~ Team…
Free housing for early educators: how it’s being done in New Haven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjbI_m8kTlk Looking for a bold idea? Here’s one, free housing for early educators: “In 2019 we launched our Teacher Housing Initiative, which provides rent-free housing to our teachers,” Allyx Schiavone explained during a recent 9:30 Call. “This initiative supports our essential workforce and elevates our teachers compensation through the salary benefit of free housing.” What…
Fun food justice on The 9:30 Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHJlLJB-2ew “When you have great teachers, the things that typically hold them back in schools [is] the ecosystem around them,” Tracy Skelly said, introducing herself on a recent 9:30 Call, where she explained her transition from education to what she called “operations.” What kind of ecosystems don't work? Skelly points to food — and to the…
In quotes: What if high-quality child care were affordable?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBa4LDBOxo “What would happen to families in Massachusetts if high-quality child care and early education were affordable?” “Our research team from UMass Boston has developed a tool to study the impact of these proposals.” — Anne Douglass, UMass Boston Early Ed Cost + Usage Simulator Project: MA proposal impacts
Anne Kandilis joins our board
Please join us in welcoming Anne Kandilis to Strategies for Children’s Board of Directors. Strategies’ Board Chair Sally C. Fuller says, “Anne brings a wealth of experience to the board. She has worked in Boston as a tax professional and as the project director of the Springfield Public Schools’ Preschool Expansion Grant Strategic Plan. Her broad…
Recap of The Early Childhood Agenda Winter Convening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kFxJkOgDWU Last week was the winter convening of The Early Childhood Agenda, which is hosted by Strategies for Children. It was an exciting event: more than 85 people attended and heard updates from Amy O’Leary, Strategies’ executive director, and Marisa Fear, Strategies’ director of policy. “What we want to make sure that we do as…
In quotes: UPK has a new name: Boston Pre-K
What is Boston Pre-K? Boston Pre-K is a high-quality public pre-kindergarten program for Boston families, funded and managed by Boston Public Schools. It offers diverse options for children ages 3 and 4, including Boston Public Schools, community-based organizations, independent schools, and family childcare providers. What has changed? • New Name, Tagline, and Logo: The program…
What the Massachusetts FY’25 Budget Means and How to Prepare for FY’26
Join Strategies for Children, Neighborhood Villages, and SEIU Local 509 on Tuesday, December 17th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., for a virtual presentation and discussion about the implications of the FY’25 budget and about preparing for FY’26 budget season advocacy. Registering for this event is required. And the meeting will be recorded. Excel Linguistics…
Join the winter convening of The Early Childhood Agenda
Join us on Thursday, December 5th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., for The Early Childhood Agenda's Winter Convening, by registering here. This will be our final meeting of the calendar year and the last opportunity to share feedback as we revise our collective recommendations and plan for next steps in 2025. To catch up…
The 2024 Early Childhood Workforce Index points to workforce challenges – and solutions
The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) has released the Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024. The index takes a rigorous look at the state of the workforce and shares recommendations on how to improve environments and outcomes for children and for early educators. The index includes “a data snapshot of the national…
In quotes: finding child care for military reservists
https://www.facebook.com/ASForcesMag/posts/pfbid0LP8JKtxAjti6FWnKWG65viZ6CfytUcmVK1Ni2r3CCZy3jo52quVQAiHbyTDPCcAal “Every drill weekend, Air Force Reservists across the country face the same problem: where to find child care for their kids. Amid a nationwide provider shortage, finding child care for drill weekends is even more difficult than during weekdays.” “The Air Force runs a Home Community Care (HCC) program where individuals provide child care for…
Check out our YouTube channel – and subscribe!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RufQMt1FEs8 We’ve been adding a lot of videos to our YouTube channel. Sharing these videos is a great way to connect viewers to the important early childhood conversations going on in Massachusetts. “Strategies for Children has made a conscious and deliberate decision to begin recording and posting The 9:30 Call for three reasons,” Diagneris “Nery” Garcia says.…
Join us for the release of “Building Blocks,” a report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
Join us tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., live or virtually, for the release event of a report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) “Building Blocks: Status of Child Care Reform in Massachusetts and What Comes Next.” The event is being hosted by The Boston Foundation. And right before the MTF event, The Boston Foundation is…
In quotes: “Make a Circle,” an early childhood movie
https://player.vimeo.com/video/958649690?h=00f96da597&dnt=1&app_id=122963 “What an unforgettable night! Harold and I had the privilege of attending the premiere of the award-winning documentary “Make a Circle: A Love Letter to Early Educators and a Rallying Cry for the Childcare System” at Dorchester's historic Strand Theater, thanks to Neighborhood Villages. “As educators and immigrants, we found the film deeply moving,…
Welcoming cohort 4 of the Advocacy Network
Strategies for Children is excited to introduce cohort 4 of the Advocacy Network! Now in its fourth year, the Advocacy Network takes a new approach to strengthening the advocacy community by bringing together early childhood providers and advocates from across the state, connecting them to each other and to policymakers, and helping cohort members launch…
Introducing our fall intern: Maria Paula Suso-Alarcon
Maria Paula Suso-Alarcon is a policy and communications intern at Strategies for Children, and she says the best part of her internship is getting to see the work of so many of the people who are building a stronger early childhood system in Massachusetts. Suso-Alarcon grew up in Cali, Colombia, and graduated from the Universidad…
A focus on directors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltjVYP5TMqo One important topic that’s being discussed on The 9:30 Call is all the work done by early childhood program directors. Last month on the call, Donna Denette, the executive director of Children First Enterprises, Inc., in Granby, Mass., shared the results of her survey of directors. Among the survey’s findings? Directors of early childhood programs…
Remember your “Why”
Now that the election is over, we are taking a pause to renew our “Why” and recommit to the incredible 9:30 Call community that continues to gather four days a week to offer support and opportunities to learn as well as creating a space for solving problems and sharing accurate information. No matter who your candidates…
Advocating for educational equity in Massachusetts
Photo: Lina Kivaka, Pexels The last time we checked in with the Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership (MEEP), the organization had released a report calling on the state to close equity gaps in education. Now, MEEP is taking on inequities in early literacy, encouraging Massachusetts to close persistent gaps in reading achievement — and gathering research…
The Early Childhood Agenda feedback survey
Please fill out The Early Childhood Agenda fall feedback survey! Filling out the survey is a great way for anyone who is interested in children and families to help shape the future of The Early Childhood Agenda. Insights drawn from the survey will help Strategies for Children reflect on the past two years and assess what’s…
Celebrate Babies Week
https://www.facebook.com/MSPCCBoston/posts/pfbid0uBmmvxPoSwcL6Aee2aLXqDGJy2P2GpDr6j2R9deohRgf1EuQSCJxd98V7SWGrTjGl It’s official: Governor Maura Healey has made Massachusetts a home to Celebrate Babies Week. As the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children explains on its website, “Celebrate Babies Week is a national initiative dedicated to raising awareness of and celebrating the individuals, families, groups, and systems working to promote the well-being of…
The 9:30 Call en Español (a bilingual blog post)
https://youtu.be/SOK_9lEhtKY A principios de este mes, el Centro Cooperativo Educativo Resplandor - un nuevo emprendimiento que llega a Boston con el objetivo de "proveer servicios de educacion temprana con inmersión al español, mediante un grupo profesional calificado de trabajadoras dueñas, respetando la cultura y brindando un ambiente seguro basado en los valores y principios cooperativos". Durante la…
A new report on the economics of Massachusetts’ early childhood programs
A new report from the Rappaport Institute of Greater Boston — “An economic analysis of the childcare and early education market in Massachusetts” — was released this week, and it calls for an increase in public funding. “Given the overwhelming evidence that early childhood development affects later outcomes and that achievement gaps are already substantial…
Check out our Election Day resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odfs7o51w8o&list=PLDKYhQWZh8UOydTJbRm3m3qsqLUb_5zZw Getting ready for Election Day on Tuesday, November 5th? We’ve got a collection of resources on our Election webpage that anyone — individuals, early childhood providers, or organizations — can use to help get out the vote. So, if you’ve ever gone to vote, looked at the ballot, and thought (as I have), Hmm,…
A recap of the fall convening of The Early Childhood Agenda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VycvO2lD0u4 This week, The Early Childhood Agenda hosted its fall convening. The meeting, held on Zoom, was a chance to reflect on the progress that has been made and to think about long-term goals. To set the stage, Amy O’Leary, Strategies executive director, explained that a strategic planning process that Strategies’ staff conducted in 2021,…
In quotes: study finds early educators among lowest-paid workers
“Early childhood educators still have one of the lowest-paying jobs in the nation despite unprecedented public funding to help programs that teach and care for young kids recover from the pandemic, according to a new study released Wednesday. “The low hourly pay puts these workers, who are disproportionately women of color, in the bottom three percent of…
The Babies & Toddlers Conference in Boston
Mark your calendars: Saturday, November 2nd, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is the Babies & Toddlers Conference, at Roxbury Community College. The conference theme is Bringing Wellness and Joy into Early Childhood Environments. You can register here. “At these conferences, the energy and overall joy of friends meeting and making new friends is palpable…
In quotes: supporting North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
https://www.facebook.com/smartstart/posts/pfbid0npXJE6HNUnpTPnXRVgoL4kQiNPZ6R7LEGzNLVYdCb8EtirZUGV3E3xPSeGAfAxFVl “Smart Start local partnerships are in every North Carolina community serving young children and families across the state. “With many of our communities experiencing devastating impacts from Hurricane Helene, our western Smart Start Local Partnerships need help getting back up and running so they can focus on taking care of the children and families in their…
A new report calls for building on pandemic investments to create a thriving early education and care system in Massachusetts
https://vimeo.com/1017730953 A new report calls for building on pandemic investments to create a thriving early education and care system in Massachusetts How can Massachusetts build on the nation’s pandemic-related investments in early education and care and become a bold, comprehensive leader in funding programs for young children “in a way that catapults the sector forward”? …
Donna Denette shares the challenges of early childhood directors
https://youtu.be/6j-DjKC-m3c “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” That’s what Donna Denette wants everyone to understand about the directors of early childhood programs, who continuously devote energy to everyone but themselves. Denette, the executive director of Children First Enterprises, Inc., in Granby, Mass., was featured last week on The 9:30 Call where she shared the…
In quotes: child care leaders at the White House
https://www.facebook.com/rep.alice.peisch/posts/pfbid0JP7qNXGQiRAb4GrnA8uqP7Aj11FpoHQgPuJau6oJkabzPkGuwsRuA7wARRckwJKNl “Last week, White House officials welcomed leaders from 34 states across the country to discuss state actions to make child care more affordable for working families, increase child care provider supply, and improve job quality for child care workers.” [Leaders from Massachusetts included State Senator Jason Lewis, State Representative Alice Peisch, and State Representative Danillo Sena.] https://www.facebook.com/SenJasonLewis/posts/pfbid0oxfJqqv8kaZorUKhCdM9VWZ1g57ZeG1JpEu3mQw7yx5FCUtboRSXjr5RQeGEE8Fl “At…
In quotes: how moms put child care on the election agenda
Photo: Huong Vu for Strategies for Children “A full 8 minutes dedicated to child care and paid family leave in the VP debate. My mind is honestly still blown!“But to be clear, this was not a coincidence. We have been working towards this moment for months. Six months ago, Moms First set off to do…
Welcoming two new board members
Mariela Abreu Jenise Katalina We are excited to welcome two new members to Strategies for Children’s board of directors: Mariela Abreu and Jenise Katalina. They were approved at our September board meeting, and they began their three-year terms on October 1st. “We are thrilled to add two new board members who will help expand our…
Two child care bills are reintroduced in Congress
Katherine Clark speaking at a press conference where she reintroduced two child care bills. Photo courtesy of Clark's office. Child care is getting attention in Congress. Last week, Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine Clark reintroduced two bills that would, as a press release from Clark’s office explains, address “America’s child care crisis with robust investment in early…
In quotes: now that she’s retired, Jeri Robinson goes back to kindergarten at her old school
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDkouF3tZ2o “The Boston School Committee's chair person helped kindergarteners on their first day of school Monday — 70 years after she started kindergarten at the very same school. “Jeri Robinson remembers her first day at Hale Elementary School clearly — and credits it as the spark that led to her decades-long career in education. “…
Addressing the shortage of early childhood workforce data
https://www.facebook.com/registryalliance/posts/pfbid022jFQrwDfWjrHBkfWNWRGSLYH3xnQv4PREqrmUp8wwFeUZrMkk5fRp4fiZoriwL1Xl A new policy brief — Guidance for Reporting Data on Your Early Care and Education Workforce — calls for states to have more data on their early childhood workforce. “Public reporting on common workforce data elements helps create a clear picture of workforce needs and supply. This crucial data can then be analyzed to…
The Early Childhood Agenda: join us for the fall convening and check out the Instagram page
Join us for the fall convening of The Early Childhood Agenda on Wednesday, October 16th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Zoom. You can register here. We'll hear updates from all our workgroup lead facilitators and coalition partners. And you'll get a first look at proposed priority recommendations. As many of you already know, The Early…
In quotes: check out the early childhood podcast, “No one is coming to save us”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GgKzLTpYlYpODoWoKdPSp?si=XnmWt1ryQHWatzkxrXwQQQ Season 4 of the early childhood podcast, “No one is coming to save us,” is underway and it’s taking on tough issues, from homelessness to climate change. Hosted by Lemonada Media and presented by Neighborhood Villages, the podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, and from other streaming services. Here’s part of the discussion…