| State House event recap: Looking Back to Look Forward |
“It’s like getting the band back together,” Pat Haddad (D-Somerset), Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, said of herself and some her colleagues who gathered at the State House on Tuesday for “Looking Back to Look Forward,” a Strategies for Children celebration of the tenth anniversary of An Act Relative to Early Education and Care, which became law in 2008. To mark the law’s anniversary and reflect on its future, Strategies for Children’s Amy O’Leary moderated a lineup of speakers including Haddad, House Speaker DeLeo, state officials, and local early education program directors to speak at Looking Back to Look Forward. Many of the speakers remarked that though they have had different roles over the last 10 years their commitment to the issue remains strong. Visit our blog for highlights. |
| How early educators are becoming advocates |
Last month at the NAEYC Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., the Presidential Seminar featured a panel discussion about advocacy with both seasoned advocates and newer advocates who are just finding their advocacy voices. The panel was planned and moderated by Amy O’Leary, NAEYC’s president and the director of Strategies for Children’s Early Education for All campaign. As the panel description explained, to make a difference for children, families, and the field, early educators should understand that, “We are the ones we have been waiting for – we need to be the change we want to see in the world!” Read more. |
| New research highlights early education workforce challenges in Massachusetts |
Every day in Massachusetts, 75,000 early childhood educators go to work caring for more than 400,000 young children. Yet, these educators face increasing demands inside and outside of the classroom, with low pay and high economic insecurity contributing to a workforce shortage. To respond to these challenges, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston are conducting a sweeping study of the early education workforce. Read the initial study findings here. |
 Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for recent stories you may have missed. |
An early education agenda for governors, December 18 Boston’s recipe for early education success, December 4 Leading the Way: Janet Begin promotes access and quality in Haverhill, November 16 Polling data shows that Americans Support Early Education, November 6 Voices from the field: Amanda Medeiros supports families in Lowell, October 26 Voices from the field: Efrain Ponce on teaching and being a role model, October 19 |
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Brigid Strong Boyd @brigidboyd Dec 11 Marta T. Rosa, M.Ed. @mtrconsulting57 Dec 11 BPS Early Learning @BPSEarlyLearn Dec 4 Hidden Brain @HiddenBrain Nov 15 Lauren Hogan @llhogan7 Nov 14 EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All Oct 30 Suzanne Bouffard @SuzanneBouffard Oct 18 |
notes from Amy
In Massachusetts, and nationally, the new Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) was greeted with excitement, high expectations and a keen sense of watchfulness. Read more here. The creation of the Department was the culmination of several years of work by advocates and policymakers and was influenced by a growing focus statewide and nationally on the importance of high-quality early education. As we celebrated the ten year anniversary of this bill at the State House earlier this month, it was incredible to hear the stories and perspectives of so many of the key players. Visit our blog for highlights. As the event showcased, Massachusetts has accomplished great things for young children, families, and educators since 2008. But much work remains to be done to deliver on the promise to provide all our children with access to high-quality early education and care. It is going to take all of us. We have seen a renewed interested and attention to the importance of advocacy and accurate information. Make sure you are signed up to receive our advocacy alerts and help spread the word to others who can help advocate! Click here to see a summary of Early Education in the News for 2018. You can find our publications, infographics, research briefs, Fast Facts for Children and Families, and more on our website. We are grateful for our partners and funders who help to support our work and the hundreds of people who took action this year to advocate for increased investments. We must continue to work together to make 2019 an even better year for children, families, and communities here in the Commonwealth. Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season…and get ready for ACTION in 2019!
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On July 31, 2008, 
