| Majority of voters support early education |
A new poll of likely voters has found strong support for early education programs here in Massachusetts. Sponsored by WBUR and conducted by the MassINC Polling Group, the poll found 73 percent of respondents supporting comprehensive early childhood education, and 53 percent support for raising taxes to provide comprehensive early childhood education. This finding builds on recent national polls from Gallup and the First Five Years Fund that found widespread, bipartisan support for preschool programs. |
| State responds to stagnant third grade reading scores |
September’s release of the 2014 MCAS scores revealed that our third grade reading proficiency rates have not changed since last year. Once again, 43 percent of third graders statewide did not meet proficiency in reading. That’s roughly 29,000 children who did not meet this crucial educational benchmark. Fortunately, early literacy has increasingly been on the radar of policymakers and practitioners here in Massachusetts. Read about the progress of the state’s Early Literacy Expert Panel, established in 2012’s An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency, for the latest details. |
| Meet Jay Gonzalez–New EEC Board Chair |
On June 10, Governor Patrick announced the appointment of Jay Gonzalez, former Secretary of Administration and Finance, as Chair of the Board of Early Education and Care. “As the recently appointed Chair of the Board of Early Education and Care, I wanted to reach out to introduce myself and formally request your help,” Gonzalez writes in a recent letter to the early education field. “Specifically, I ask that you work with the Board and the Department to build on the progress made under the Patrick Administration to make our system of early education and care what it must be—a system where every child has access to high quality early education and care.” Read our recent interview with Chair Gonzalez for more. |
 Fall has brought a flurry of news in the early education and care field. Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for stories you may have missed. |
Early Education Debated by Massachusetts Gubernatorial Candidates, October 6 2014 MCAS Results: Stagnant Performance in Third Grade Reading, Critical Indicator for Children’s Future Success, September 19 Two New Studies Look at how Infants and Toddlers Acquire Language, September 29 8 x 8: Harvard Education Professors Propose Bold Ideas, October 7 Timothy Bartik’s New Book on the Economic Payoff of Preschool, September 23 |
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EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All · Oct 3 Amy Zimmer @the_zim · Sep 29 EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All · Oct 1 Amy O'Leary @AmyEO · Sep 27 Early childhood education, including #HeadStart put me on a pathway out of poverty into opportunity @NatlHeadStart |
notes from Amy
Momentum for early education has never been greater. Everywhere we look, from the Governor’s race, to local Massachusetts communities, to elected officials in Washington, political leaders are making commitments to young children and families. The job for us? Keep up the advocacy—it is still needed in order to help ensure that rhetoric turns into reality. Our children are counting on us.
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Election Day is fast approaching.
The Massachusetts General Election on Tuesday, November 4 is less than two weeks away. Now is the time to remind candidates that investing in high-quality early education and care is one of your top priorities as a voter. To learn more about where to vote in your community, visit the 
