| State budget invests $15 million in early education workforce |
The fiscal year 2018 state budget is not yet final as of this writing, but one thing is certain: early educators working in state-subsidized programs will receive a well-deserved raise this year. The budget invests $15 million in a rate reserve for educator salaries, the largest rate increase in recent memory. We thank Governor Baker and the Legislature for prioritizing the early childhood workforce this year. And we thank you, the advocates, for raising your voices in support of early educators. For the latest budget information, visit our website. |
| State House hearing – Massachusetts communities are ready for preschool |
On Tuesday, June 20, Chris Martes, Amy O’Leary and several other early education leaders and advocates testified in support of “An Act ensuring high quality early education,” H.2874 filed by Representative Alice Peisch and S.240 filed by Senator Sal DiDomenico. The message? Local communities are ready for preschool. Boston, Cape Cod, Holyoke, Lawrence, New Bedford, Somerville, Worcester, and several others all have preschool expansion plans and strong partnerships with community stakeholders. Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera was among those testifying in support of the bill, stating, “In many ways, Massachusetts is a leader within the world of public education, yet we still struggle to provide high-quality preschool, particularly for our neediest children and families.” For more, read Chris Martes’ guest blog recapping the hearing, Strategies for Children’s official statement supporting the bill, and a July 16 editorial by the Cape Cod Times. Stay tuned for updates on the bill’s progress. |
| Springfield and Worcester recognized for early literacy gains |
Congratulations to Springfield for receiving an All-America City award at the National Grade-Level Reading conference on June 16. The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading noted Springfield’s "track record of success that includes reductions in the city's rates of chronic absence and summer learning loss, and an 11 percent increase in 2015-16 in third grade reading proficiency." Read more. Worcester was a finalist for the award along with Springfield. We congratulate both cities for their ongoing work to improve early literacy outcomes for young children. Read more on our blog. |
 Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for recent stories you may have missed. |
Remembering Commissioner Mitchell Chester, June 27 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Says High-Quality Child Care is Good for Children, Parents, and Business, July 18 Wheelock College’s Annual Community Dialogue on Early Education – A Video, July 6 Developing Young Children’s Brains with The Boston Basics, June 14 Ready to Go: Lawrence, June 2 Ready to Go: Holyoke, May 26 |
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EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All July 18 Nurtury @NurturyBoston Jul 17 EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All Jul 17 MABusAllianceForEduc @MBAENews July 10 Put Ma Kids First @PutMaKidsFirst June 27 BPS Early Learning @BPSEarlyLearn June 20 Michael O. Moore @SenMikeMoore June 16 Zaentz Early Ed @ZaentzHarvardEd May 25
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notes from Amy
We thank Governor Baker, Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg, legislators, and advocates across the state who all sang the same tune this year: invest in early educators! We are proud to serve on the Put MA Kids First coalition, whose hard work and advocacy has paid off with a big win for early educators. We know this is only an incremental gain in the long-term struggle for pay equity for early educators and we are more committed than ever to help support a powerful, knowledgeable and well-compensated early childhood profession. For more details about the FY18 budget process, please visit our website. We continue to collect stories from early educators and feature them on our blog series, Voices from the Field. We want to hear your story. Please contact Laura Healy at Lhealy@strategiesforchildren.org to share your story.
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In January, Governor Baker released his proposal for the Fiscal Year 2018 state budget. That budget included $7 million to support the early education workforce. The MA House of Representatives and Senate followed with their budget proposals and included support for the workforce: $20 million in the House and $10 million in the Senate. The Conference Committee ended up at $15 million which was passed in the final budget by the House and Senate. 
