Strategies for Children

Today’s blog: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, UC Berkeley (CSCCE) has released the Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024. The index takes a rigorous look at the state of the workforce and shares recommendations on how to improve environments and outcomes for children and for early educators. Read more in #EyeOnEarlyChildhood: https://wp.me/pTWmF-6yn

This week on #The930Call Monday, November 25 Da Hei Ku, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood, UMass Boston and Affiliated Faculty Researcher, Early Education Leaders Institute will discuss the findings of her study on how gentrification affects early childcare centers in Austin, Texas and preliminary findings in Boston. Through the 9:30 Call, she hopes to recruit more early childcare centers in gentrifying neighborhoods in Boston. Tuesday, November 26 Maria Paula Suso-Alarcon is a policy and communications intern at Strategies for Children, and student at Bunker Hill Community College pursuing an associate degree in paralegal studies. ***We will also take some time to share our gratitude with The 9:30 Call Community! Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29 NO CALL - SFC will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29 in observance of Thanksgiving. We’ll be back on Monday, December 2! Catch up on The 9:30 Call - select recordings are available online: https://lnkd.in/eXUAr3fC Learn more and sign up to receive weekly email updates and Zoom access: https://lnkd.in/eDzwZYUK

Friday quote: “Every drill weekend, Air Force Reservists across the country face the same problem: where to find child care for their kids. Amid a nationwide provider shortage, finding child care for drill weekends is even more difficult than during weekdays.” “The Air Force runs a Home Community Care (HCC) program where individuals provide child care for Reservists and Air National Guardsmen on weekends, but those providers are often few and far between. “ ‘If we wanted to drop our son off [with an HCC provider], we would have had to wake up at about 3:30, 4:00 in the morning to be able to leave the house on time, drop him off, and then get to work,’ said 1st Lt. Marjorie Schurr, whose husband is also an Air Force Reservist. ‘That just wasn’t feasible, and we wouldn’t have gotten home until 6:30 at night.’ ” “New pilot programs at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Pa., and Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., may serve as a template for providing low-cost, accessible, and reliable child care for the rest of the Air Force Reserves, and possibly for Reserve components across the military.” “At Pittsburgh, the 911th Airlift Wing found a civilian provider close to the base that could stay open on weekends. Building trust between the provider and the families involved was a key part of the process.” “Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., found similar success after a former HCC provider opened her own child care center that caters to Reservists. It’s about a 25-minute drive from the base, but the feedback has been great so far, said Angela Pedersen, military and family readiness director for Dobbins’ 94th Airlift Wing.” — “How the Air Force Reserve Is Trying To Fix Its Child Care Access Problem,” by David Roza, Air & Space Forces Magazine, November 4, 2024 Read more in #EyeOnEarlyChildhood https://lnkd.in/dd8GDxsS

Today's blog: Check out our YouTube channel – and subscribe! We’ve been adding a lot of videos to our?YouTube channel.?Sharing these videos is?a great way to connect viewers to the important early childhood conversations going on in Massachusetts. Read more in #EyeOnEarlyChildhood: https://lnkd.in/dpr-A8xQ

?Esta semana en?#the930callenespa?ol!

Today's blog: Join us tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., live or virtually, for the release event of a report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF)?“Building Blocks: Status of Child Care Reform in Massachusetts and What Comes Next.”?The event is being hosted by The Boston Foundation. Read more in #EyeOnEarlyChildhood https://lnkd.in/eeCaeRyV

Join us today and all week on #The930Call Monday, November 18 Aditi Subramaniam, Director, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and?Christy Moulin, Director, Center for Early Childhood, The Home for Little Wanderers Tuesday, November 19 The 9:30 Call Watch Party at The Boston Foundation before 10 AM in-person event?Building Blocks: Status of Child Care Reform in MA and What Comes Next.?Register for the event here:?https://lnkd.in/epUTiV_J Marlo Tersigni, owner of?SolBe Learning?in Chestnut Hill and?Two Little Owls Schoolhouse?in Cambridge. With nearly a decade of experience in early childhood education and an MSc in Human Development, Marlo brings valuable insights as an operator along with being a Lived Experience Leader for?The Early Childhood Agenda, hosted by Strategies for Children. Marlo will share common misconceptions about the costs of running a high-quality early education program in MA, shedding light on where tuition dollars actually go, and the ongoing advocacy needed to ensure both exceptional programs for families and fair wages for educators. Wednesday, November 20 Elizabeth Pufall Jones,?PhD, Director of Preparation and Work Environment Programs,?Center for the Study of Child Care Employment?will share more about the?2024 Early Childhood Workforce Index! The 9:30 CALL en Espa?ol at 6:30PM with Mayra Rosado, Vice President of Business Development, and Doris Yepez, Incubator Director, Nurtury Early Education: Discover Nurtury Early Education’s Family Child Care Incubator—an innovative solution addressing child care access in Boston. The Nurtury FCC Incubator equips aspiring child care educators to confidently launch their own FCC businesses. Located in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood, the Incubator provides hands-on training, curriculum planning support, and essential small business resources, along with a dedicated child care space for gaining practical experience before opening their own programs. Join us to learn how the Incubator is paving the way for new child care Educators! *This meeting will be coducted completely in Spanish. Thursday, November 21 For every $1 spent on K-12, our nation spends 22 cents on preschoolers, ages 3 and 4. On infants, it's even less: 10 cents. Learn more about how and why young children are getting Shortchanged with a?new report from the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity here?with?Dr. Theresa Hawley,?Executive Director and?Dr. Michelle Bezark,?Senior Policy Researcher, at the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity. Friday, November 22 NO CALL Learn more about #The930Call and sign up to receive weekly email updates and Zoom access: https://lnkd.in/eDzwZYUK

In quotes: “Make a Circle,” an early childhood movie “What an unforgettable night! Harold Blanco and I had the privilege of attending the premiere of the award-winning documentary?“Make a Circle: A Love Letter to Early Educators and a Rallying Cry for the Childcare System”?at Dorchester’s historic Strand Theater, thanks to?Neighborhood Villages. “As educators and immigrants, we found the film deeply moving, evoking a bittersweet mix of emotions. It powerfully reflects our journeys and the challenges we face within the childcare system, honoring the often-overlooked dedication of early educators who shape our children’s futures. “The insights shared by panelists?Donna Denette?and colleagues from?Strategies for Children?– Advocacy Network,?Cherish Casey?&?Gloria Valentin-Denson?along with moderator?Latoya Gayle, were truly inspiring. They emphasized the critical role of community support in advocating for early education. We must unite to ensure that educators are valued and equipped with essential resources. “An audience question about what was missing in the film highlighted issues like housing instability, mental health, and food insecurity. Let’s share this film widely across Massachusetts to keep this momentum going. Together, we can create a brighter future for our children and those who dedicate their lives to teaching them!” — Paula Andrea Echeverri Durango’s?LinkedIn post, November 12, 2024 Watch the trailer in #EyeOnEarlyChildhood https://lnkd.in/ehBMmQq9

If you missed #The930Call this morning, watch the recording! Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw shared highlights from the November 13 EEC Board Meeting. English: https://lnkd.in/er5v6znB Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw compartio los aspectos más destacados de la reunión de la Junta Directiva de EEC del 13 de noviembre. Espa?ol: https://lnkd.in/eSXTgwXK Thank you Excel Linguistics, LLC for your support!

Today's blog: Strategies for Children is excited to introduce cohort 4 of the?Advocacy Network! Now in its fourth year, the Advocacy Network takes a new approach to strengthening the advocacy community by bringing together early childhood providers and advocates from across the state, connecting them to each other and to policymakers, and helping cohort members launch their own advocacy projects. Read more in #EyeOnEarlyChildhood https://lnkd.in/ezGuCzFn