Boston Mayor Marty Walsh met a child care need last month at the third annual African-American Veterans Appreciation Brunch. Mayor’s Office Photo by Isabel Leon, posted on Mayor Walsh’s Flickr page.

Boston continues to lead the way on early childhood policy. Knowing that local, accurate, early childhood data is essential for program planning but often nonexistent, city officials are taking proactive steps to collect this data through the annual city census. Boston is asking parents to fill out a survey to explain their child care arrangements and challenges, as well as their family needs relating to language and disabilities.

The answers “will help inform a policy that works for all.”

The survey website provides more context, adding:

“For the first time ever, the City of Boston has added an optional survey to its annual citywide census. We’re hoping to better understand how people and households across Boston relate to language and disability. We also want to learn about how families access and experience care for their children ages five and under.”

Boston will be the first community in Massachusetts to collect child care information in its municipal census.

“By taking a few minutes to respond to these questions, you will be helping the City of Boston better understand the experiences of families and children ages five and under,” Tania Del Rio, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, says, adding:

“The City intends to use the data to uncover trends in early education and childcare and determine the best ways to support and serve families and children in Boston.”

The one-page survey is available in a number of languages including English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Specifically, the survey asks about family members’ English language proficiency. There’s also a space to indicate what kinds of disabilities family members may have.

Parents are asked what neighborhood they live in. However, names are not asked for, and answers are kept confidential.

Links to the survey are on the website.

The print version is posted here.

City officials will also “mail physical copies of the survey as an insert with the Annual City Census in English and Spanish.”

Please spread the word about the survey and promote it on social media using the hashtags #BostonChildcare, #ChildcareCounts, or #BCounted.

Please email any questions to bostonwomen@boston.gov.