Early Education Leaders, an Institute at UMass Boston

provides the leadership development opportunities and infrastructure that early educators need to support thriving children and families.

December 12, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

UMass Boston Report Proposes Fix for ‘Cliff Effect’ in Financial Assistance for Child Care

A report released today by the UMass Boston Early Education Cost and Usage Simulator (CUSP) Project offers an innovative approach to mitigate the total loss of child care assistance that approximately 32,000 families would experience under Senate Bill 2707 (formerly Senate Bill 301) due to cliff effects.

Senate Bill 2707 would expand access to affordable, high-quality child care in Massachusetts by providing financial assistance for child care and early education based on a family’s income. A family of four earning 85% of the State Median Income (SMI), or $96,743, would be eligible for child care benefits worth $8,643. But a marginal increase in income—even if it is just one dollar—would result in the total loss of those benefits, as depicted in the graphic below.

Continue Reading →

November 12, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

Using Mr. Potato Head to learn Plan-Do-Study-Act

One of the tools that participants in the ECSO offered by Early Education Leaders learn is Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA). PDSA is a structured, iterative problem-solving method used to test and implement changes for continuous improvement. When built into the workday routines of early educators, it can be a powerful tool for change and quality improvement.

Continue Reading →

October 21, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

Powerful cross-institutional collaboration: Early Education Leaders and the Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program

The Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP) based at the Shriver Center/Division of Professional Studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, recently hosted its inaugural leadership forum titled “Sustaining an Inclusive and Equitable Future in Early Childhood Education.” The event drew more than 200 early educators and showcased MECLP’s success in cultivating early childhood education leaders from the field.

Continue Reading →

September 20, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

Professor Anne Douglass appointed Research Co-Director of the National Early Care and Education Workforce Center

We’re thrilled and proud that our Executive Director Professor Anne Douglass has been appointed Research Co-Director of the National Early Care and Education Workforce Center. She is one of four new directors who will set the center’s vision moving forward. The others are Rena Hallam, a professor of early education at the University of Delaware and Director for the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, who was appointed Research Co-Director; Brandy Jones Lawrence of ZERO TO THREE, who was appointed Technical Assistance Director, and Kathryn Tout of Child Trends, who was appointed Managing Director.

Continue Reading →

September 5, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

15 Fellows Selected for Early Childhood Fellowship

Early Education Leaders, an Institute at UMass Boston, announces today that 15 students have been selected as Early Childhood Fellows who will receive full scholarships to earn their bachelor’s degree in early education from UMass Boston. The Fellows are a mix of experienced early educators working in family child care, early care and education centers, out-of-school time programs, and preschool settings as well as those who are new to the field. The Fellowship is funded with a grant from the city of Boston to develop a pipeline of racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse early educators. All of the Fellows have committed to work in the city of Boston as early educators for at least three years after graduating with their degree. The Fellowship currently has 57 students enrolled and has graduated seven since its launch in late 2022.

Early Childhood Fellows engage in an ice breaker activity at welcome reception.

“We are thrilled to welcome these students to UMass Boston. They are a talented group who come from a range of culturally diverse backgrounds. But what they all have in common is a deep curiosity to learn, expand their knowledge and skills, and work with young children,” said Kori Lantas, MA, Interim Director of the Early Childhood Fellowship.

The Fellows were formally welcomed to UMass Boston during a dinner reception held on campus August 2.

Continue Reading →

August 30, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

Leading for Change in Pennsylvania: Janine Pagano

In Pennsylvania, Janine Pagano, the state’s Family Childcare (FCC) Coordinator has built robust community networks of FCC providers across the state to support one another, learn from each other, and be stronger advocates for their ECE sector. In doing so, she employed the skills she honed by taking Leading for Change, our 14-week entrepreneurial leadership program.  

Janine Pagano

Pagano was among a group of Pennsylvania ECE leaders and FCC coaches who completed a Leading for Change facilitator training led by Early Education Leaders Executive Director Anne Douglass and Early Education Leaders staff members.

“It was the most wonderful experience we’ve ever had,” said Pagano, who helped coordinate the training. “And I’m not speaking just for myself, I’m speaking for everyone who took that class.”

Continue Reading →

August 21, 2024
by earlyedinstitute
0 comments

Early Education Instructional Leadership: Vanessa Hunter

Vanessa Hunter didn’t set out to work in early education. In fact, her career happened almost by accident. As a frequent volunteer at her son’s childcare center, Hunter employed the skills she honed as the assistant director for a program serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her ability to manage a classroom and keep students engaged caught the attention of the center’s director, who offered Vanessa the job as site director when the program was expanding.

Vanessa Hunter

“I’ve always been drawn towards caring for people of all ages and abilities,” Hunter said, noting that the transition was a smooth one.

Still, she was eager to develop even more skills for her new role as the site coordinator for Teeter Tots Preschool and Childcare in Raynham. After reviewing professional development options with her director, she opted to enroll in our Early Education Instructional Leadership program. Her decision was driven, in part, by logistics. The 10-week course, structured with two-and-a-half-hour weekly sessions, fit perfectly into her busy schedule as a single mother.

The Early Education Instructional Leadership program cultivates leadership mindsets and strengthens the knowledge, skills, and competencies of early education instructional leaders. Educators learn about organizational change, and new research on methods for accelerating improvement and creating a culture of collaborative learning. They also learn strategies to implement what they learn in their programs.

Continue Reading →
This is the blog of Early Education Leaders, an Institute at UMass Boston.
Skip to toolbar