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    AUGUST 2018
State budget recap: Best in 10 years for early education and care

On Thursday, July 26, Governor Charlie Baker signed a $41.8 billion state budget for fiscal year 2019. The governor made no vetoes to early education and care line items. This year's budget is the first in 10 years to surpass the pre-recession high point (FY09) of state funding for early education and care. Highlights include $20 million for the early educator salary rate reserve, $10 million for a new early educator workforce development initiative, $5 million for preschool expansion and more. Visit our website for additional info, and don’t forget to thank your legislators and Governor Baker for this historic investment in high-quality early education.

 
Leading the Way – our new blog series

“Leading the Way” is our new blog series featuring the next generation of leaders in the field of early education and care. Read about leaders in action across the commonwealth, and send us ideas for who to profile next!
TeeAra Dias leads Boston’s Universal Pre-K efforts, Lynn Santiago-Calling and MAAEYC, Ola Friday is Massachusetts’ new associate commissioner of workforce development, Kretcha Roldan’s work in Somerville, and two leaders at The East Boston Social Centers.

 
Voices from the Field

Educators, tell your stories. Your experience shines a light on the needs of children and families, and the importance of policy and funding to support educator compensation, training, and leadership development. Our “Voices from the Field” series features first-person accounts from early educators across Massachusetts. Check out three stories posted this summer, by Sheri Rios in Somerville, Stacey Reese on Cape Cod, and Rebecca Ruiz in Springfield.

 

Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for recent stories you may have missed.

Celebrating the transition to Kindergarten– lessons from New Bedford, August 15

Census 2020 – making sure kids are counted, August 13

Amy O’Leary — the new president of NAEYC’s governing board — publishes her first column, August 9

A new book tells the story of Boston’s preschool program, July 31

Tracking full-day kindergarten trends, July 26

Spotlight on summer learning: resources for parents, educators, and advocates, July 24 (a three-part series)

Our Summer 2018 interns, July 12

Wanted: Photography and multimedia intern with a passion for early education, July 30
 

Aaron Loewenberg @ALoewenberg  Aug 15
Happy to talk with @LisaStark and the @pbsnewshour about the importance of preK and the transition to kindergarten #earlyed @NewAmericaEd

Massachusetts EEC ‏@MassEarlyEdCare  Aug 15
@MassGovernor announced the latest round of $4M in #EarlyEd capital fund facilities improvement grants at Crispus Attucks Children's Center in #Dorchester today. https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-awards-4-million-for-early-education-programs … #mapoli #bospoli

Wonder of Learning @WOLBoston  Aug 13
What is going on at The Wonder of Learning Boston? How can you get involved? Check out our website calendar to register. **Facilitated Tours: Most Saturdays and Sundays 11-2 as well as Wednesday... https://www.facebook.com/wonderoflearningboston/posts/2180510051962587 …

Barr Foundation @BarrFdn  Aug 11
Five lessons learned from nearly 20 years in #earlyeducation. Learn more and check out our Early Ed legacy page: http://bit.ly/2It1Fcy  #MaEdu @SmartStart_Inc @FirstTeacherBos @RaisingAReaderM @CEDACma @BPSEarlyLearn @EarlyEd4All @BGCDorchester @UnitedWayMABay

Campaign for Grade-Level Reading‏ @readingby3rd  Jul 25
“It is not enough to care. We have to believe and believe enough to be bold. We have to take the risk of failure to find pathways to success.” - Ralph Smith, @Readingby3rd at #GLRWeek

Joan Wasser Gish ‏@wassergish  Jul 19
Wonderful, good, and effective! @abtassociates evaluation of Springfield and other PEG grantees finds both improving program quality and significant gains for participating children https://www.abtassociates.com/insights/publications/report/year-2-massachusetts-preschool-expansion-grant-peg-evaluation-report … @EarlyEd4All #ECE #prek #mapoli

Albert Wat ‏ @albert_wat  Jul 12
Why do #EarlyEd #teachers earn so little when parents pay so much for #childcare? Watch this new animated video from @CSCCEUCB and @childcareaware to learn more: https://youtu.be/NfK8BTX24sQ  #ChildCare #ECE #bthru8

 

 

notes from Amy

Your advocacy has paid off! The fiscal year 2019 state budget is the best in 10 years for early education and care, and the first budget in 10 years to surpass pre-recession funding levels. Funds this year will continue to raise (chronically low) salaries in the early education and care field, create a new workforce development initiative, and begin to expand preschool.

While we have much to be thankful for – and please do thank your elected officials – we still have work to do to bring high-quality early education to all young children in Massachusetts.

This fall, Strategies for Children will be looking back to look forward. We will host an event to reflect on the 10-year anniversary of An Act Relative to Early Education and Care (enacted in 2008) . We must collectively take stock of how much we have all accomplished to advance the early education sector in this state, and look ahead to envision the system we need in order to best serve all young children and their families. Stay tuned for event details.

I hope you enjoy these last days of summer. Rest, reflect, re-engerize.

See you in the fall!

 

 
617.330.7380           400 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02110           info@earlyeducationforall.org
Strategies for Children works to ensure that Massachusetts invests the resources needed for all children, from birth to age five, to access high-quality early education programs that prepare them for success in school and life.