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.

The event, as well as MECLP’s role in successfully preparing Maryland’s next generation of early education leaders, was detailed in a “leadership brief,” recently published on MECLP’s website. “Leadership Matters” attributed MECLP’s impact to several key factors. One is the state of Maryland’s early role in acknowledging the importance of early care and education for later success in school. Dr. Nancy Grasmick, former State Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education — who spoke at the inaugural leadership forum — was one of the first state superintendents of education in the country to formally recognize the role that quality early education plays in K-12 performance.

Another is the state’s renewed focus on early childhood education as shown by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which prioritizes support for quality early care and education and the early education workforce as foundational to children’s success.

Finally, “Leadership Matters” details the powerful cross-institutional collaboration between Early Education Leaders and MECLP. In 2018, Dr. Anne Douglass, the founding executive director of Early Education Leaders, brought our research-based curriculum Leading for Change in Early Care and Education to MECLP. Leading for Change serves as the cornerstone of MECLP’s leadership program, providing fellows with the tools and knowledge needed to drive systemic change in early childhood education, and Dr. Douglass remains on MECLP’s faculty teaching Leading for Change.

Today, MECLP provides a rigorous, graduate-level program for early childhood professionals who develop change projects that propose innovative directions for programs and policies. It also enhances leadership skills and confidence among participants. Since its founding in 2018, MECLP has graduated 45 fellows who have accomplished remarkable things in the field. Some example include:

• Carolina Reyes advocated for the successful passage of HB1441 which creates a career ladder for child care providers and ensure that people have access to college coursework in their native language.
• Tiffany Jones raised the profile of her family child care program and became a pre-k expansion site. She is the Maryland state representative and policy fellow for the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC).
• Iyanna Nelson worked to reimagine family engagement in schools so that families are not just leaving their children at the door but are included as essential partners in their children’s education.
• Christina Lopez developed the confidence and knowledge to leave a 21-year career in the public school system to step into her power as an educational leader and the director of MECLP.

The collaboration between MECLP and Early Education Leaders at UMass Boston serves as a model for how institutions can work together to address critical needs in early childhood education. As Maryland moves forward with initiatives like the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the leaders cultivated through this partnership will play a vital role in shaping the future of early childhood education in the state.

Leadership Matters: Preparing Maryland’s Next Generation of Leaders at UMBC is available here.