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Inter-Agency Task Force on Early Education and Child Care Releases Goals and Year 1 Report
In January of 2024 Governor Healey created an inter-agency task force on Early Education and Child Care to form a whole of government response to increase access to affordable, high quality child care. Read more about their goals here.
Early Ed Act reforms being implemented: Department of Early Education and Care is updating regulations for the Child Care Financial Assistance Program
In 2024, the Massachusetts legislature passed a suite of policy reforms through the FY2025 budget which advocates had been pushing for since 2020. Here are the proposed regulation changes and what they mean for families in practice.
Policy Pulse #8
In each issue of the Policy Pulse, you will find an overview of what’s happening with Massachusetts and national child care policy and information on what you can do to take action and join the movement for a transformed early education and care system. January brought a new federal administration, the start of the new state and federal legislative sessions, and the release of the Governor’s FY26 budget proposal.
Reflections On Our Lead Teacher Workforce Program
We heard firsthand from many wonderful educators who reflected on their experiences completing the Lead Teacher program with Neighborhood Villages’ support. Check out some of their stories, here!
Neighborhood Villages Distributes Over 240,000 Diapers Across Massachusetts
Earlier this month, we partnered with Los Angeles-based non-profit Baby2Baby to distribute over 240,000 diapers across Massachusetts!
Policy Pulse #7
In this issue of the Policy Pulse we share recent electoral and legislative wins for early education and care and important updates from the most recent Department of Early Education and Care Board meeting.
RECAP of the November 2024 EEC Board Meeting: Budget Priorities, Literacy Launch, and Findings from Two Research Analyses on Early Childhood Education
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
Policy Pulse #6
In this issue of the Policy Pulse we share updates on several key areas of early education and Care in Massachusetts: Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3), Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) and higher education opportunities for early educators. We also share several upcoming events and important information on registering to vote.
A Look at FKO’s Groundbreaking OST Registered Apprenticeship
Out-of-school-time (OST) programs, which play an essential role during these hours, provide more than just before and after-school care – it’s an opportunity for kids to discover their passions, gain confidence, and build critical life skills.
Policy Pulse #5
In this issue of the Policy Pulse, we're excited to share our recap of the Department of Early Education and Care's (EEC) September board meeting, provide an overview of the new policy framework and rules for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) operations grants program, and share opportunities to get involved with Neighborhood Villages' advocacy work in the coming year.
Beyond the Pod: Closing the Opportunity Gap Starts Before Kindergarten
In our season four finale of “No One Is Coming to Save Us,” we hear from Brooke Legler, the owner of a child care center in Wisconsin, who is struggling to keep her center open despite the strong demand for it even in a state with nearly universal preschool.
Beyond the Pod: Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change on Young Children
In episode four of our hit podcast, “No One Is Coming to Save Us”, we hear from Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and associate professor at Stanford University, who discusses the physical and mental ways that climate change impacts kids.
Beyond The Pod: Addressing Early Relational Health in Early Childhood Education
Meet Lisa Garcia, our new Director of Early Relational Health
Policy Pulse #4
In this issue, we share additional analysis on the impact of the Massachusetts state budget and gear up for the fall by looking ahead to forthcoming EEC meetings, Task Force and other reports, and events this September.
Beyond the Pod: Empowering Economic Mobility Through Early Education
The first episode in Season 4, Empowering Economic Mobility Through Early Education, explores how early education can break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
Celebrating Momentous Child Care Policy Reforms in the FY25 State Budget
The policy provisions in the FY25 budget create a framework that will make child care more affordable for more families, improve compensation for educators, and provide the child care field with more stability.
Early Education and Care July Policy Updates
Check out the latest Early Education and Care policy updates for the month of July.
Apprenticeships Offer a Promising Solution to our Child Care Workforce Shortage
The early education and child care sector is facing a significant workforce shortage, with the child care field still down 40,000 workers nationally since before the pandemic and alarmingly high turnover rates. Nationally, over 100,000 early educators have left the field since the pandemic with job levels for the child care sector still significantly below pre-pandemic levels.