The Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation welcomed the Commonwealth’s newly appointed Commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care Samantha Aigner-Treworgy to its statewide launch of the StrongStart Professional Development Centers (PDC) September 16. Aigner-Treworgy met with the UMass leadership team and staff from each of the five PDCs to discuss the vision for the work they will be doing with the state’s 9,000 licensed early care and education programs and 70,000 early educators working in family child care, center-based child care, and out-of-school time programs. The new system of professional development and learning, and program development and quality improvement coaching is being developed by the Leadership Institute in partnership with UMass Boston’s Donahue Institute and will be overseen by the Leadership Institute.

Pictured, from left to right: Metro Boston StrongStart PDC Assistant Coordinator Cristina Mendes, StrongStart PDC Coordinator Amanda Wiehe Lopes, StrongStart PDC Director and Leadership Institute Executive Director Dr. Anne Douglass, Commissioner Aigner-Treworgy, UMass Boston Finance Manager Suzanne O’Neil, StrongStart PDC Training and Industry Navigation Manager Teddy Kokoros, and Leadership Institute assistant Natalie Calixto.