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Archive for the ‘Facilities’ Category

In quotes: a $7.1 million bond for a new child care center

Posted in Child care, Facilities, Funding, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Quotes, tagged #InvestInChildCare, #SolveChildCare on April 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Rendering of the new child care facility at 585 Andover St. in Lawrence, courtesy of Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. and Davis Square Architects.

“MassDevelopment has issued a $7.1 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. (GLCAC), which will use proceeds to demolish its outdated existing child care center at 585 Andover St. in Lawrence and build a new two-story, 28,790-square-foot child care center in its place. The organization will construct the new child care center in the existing parking lot of the current facility, and repurpose the land where the current building lies, once it is demolished, for a playground and parking.”

“ ‘Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. is a community leader in providing individuals and families with the resources they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives,’ said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. ‘MassDevelopment is proud to help the organization further invest in Lawrence through the creation of a brand-new child care center that will serve nearly 60 additional children, create jobs, and support working families.’ ”

— ”$7.1M Builds Child Care Center in Lawrence: Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. Uses Tax-Exempt Bond from MassDevelopment & Eastern Bank to Build New Child Care Facility, Expand Enrollment & Create Jobs,” by Matthew Mogavero, MassDevelopment, March 2, 2022

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In quotes: keeping early childhood settings safe

Posted in Child care, COVID-19, Facilities, Health, Pre-kindergarten, Quotes, tagged #COVID19, #ece on January 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

What can you learn from #ECE providers about keeping children safe & learning during #COVID19 ? EDC's Stephanie Knutson describes her experience & gives links to some important resources: https://t.co/biewLg1uBR pic.twitter.com/gxInOWZeWm
— EDC (@EDCtweets) January 19, 2022

“10:16 a.m. I turn to enter the main entrance where families drop off and pick up their children. In addition to the ‘Welcome to the ECE Center’ posters, I see decorative, healthful reminders from the CDC, such as how to properly wear masks, staying home when sick, and frequent handwashing, to make spreading COVID-19 less likely.

“10:17 a.m. I enter my code and open the secure door leading to classrooms and community spaces. All adults in the vicinity glance in my direction for just a second, wave an acknowledgement, and then, as if in synchrony, focus back on the children they’re working with and continue their group activities.

“In my first two minutes at this center, I have experienced some of the intentional and important work that local ECE providers engage in daily to keep early childhood environments safe and healthy for children, families, and each other.

“11:30 a.m. As usual, I’m in a great mood after being around babies and children! Traffic is unusually light, and as I drive, I reflect on the diligence of ECE providers and educators who continue to support their ECE communities during these challenging times.”

— “Keeping Early Childhood Environments Safe” by Stephanie Knutson, Education Development Center, January 19, 2022

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Investing in renovations that help keep children safe during COVID-19

Posted in Child care, COVID-19, Facilities, Massachusetts Cities and Towns on November 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Tatiana Syrikova from Pexels

This year, the Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) Capital Fund is focusing on helping EEOST programs cope with the demands of keeping children healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Created in 2013, the fund distributes grants to “finance new construction and renovation” projects that can include classrooms, restrooms, buildings, and outdoor spaces. The fund is administered by the Children’s Investment Fund, an affiliate of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), and by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).

Now, the fund, “will award grants between $100,000 and $250,000… for capital improvements related to the COVID-19 public health emergency.” The grants are smaller than usual so that more programs will benefit.

“We know that child care providers are facing tremendous strain because of the COVID pandemic. Many are modifying their spaces to continue to provide early education services to families safely,” the fund says in a blog post. “Being able to have the flexibility to use the resources available through the EEOST Capital Fund to meet their needs and strengthen the Commonwealth’s childcare infrastructure is important, as many families rely on child care to return to work.” (more…)

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Beyond the pandemic: an early education and care roadmap

Posted in Child care, Cost and affordability, COVID-19, Early educators, Facilities, Federal, Funding, National, Professional development & preparation, Strategies for Children on September 24, 2020| 2 Comments »

Right after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, early childhood education (ECE) advocates were dealing with the immediate crisis and, simultaneously, talking about what the global health crisis would mean for the future.

“We wanted to create a space for that conversation,” Albert Wat, a senior policy director at the Alliance for Early Success, said on a recent Strategies for Children Zoom call.

“We met almost weekly for four months,” Wat says of the 13 states and eight national organizations who joined the conversation. Strategies for Children, an Alliance grantee, represented Massachusetts. “We didn’t want to limit ourselves to current fiscal and policy constraints.”

Instead the group talked about a “North star,” an untethered vision of what the country could do to rebuild child care.

“We wanted to be bold, but we also wanted to be pragmatic,” Wat said.

The result is “Build Stronger: A Child Care Policy Roadmap for Transforming Our Nation’s Child Care System.” (more…)

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Get ready for Advocacy Day: Thursday, March 5, 2020

Posted in Early educators, Facilities, Family engagement, MA Legislature, Strategies for Children on February 25, 2020| 3 Comments »

It is time to get ready for Advocacy Day!

This year, Advocacy Day for Early Education & Care and School Age Programs will be on Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. at the Massachusetts State House.

Please note that there are two ways to participate!

You can go to the State House.

Or:

You can participate from your early education and care program.

Click on one of the two links above to let us know how you will be participating.

To get ready for Advocacy Day, be sure to register for the next Strategies for Children Advocacy 101 webinar — Getting Ready for Advocacy Day for Early Education & Care and School Age Programs — which will be held online on Wednesday, February 26 at 1:30 p.m. Click here to RSVP.

(You can learn more about the first Advocacy 101 webinar here.)

We will share more details about how to participate from your program and what to expect if you are coming to the State House. We’ll also record the webinar, so you can listen anytime.

As we prepare, here is what you can do now:

• Visit www.WhereDoIVoteMA.com to find your elected officials and print out the page with your information. Just enter your home address and you will get all the information you need!

• If you are going to come to the State House, call your legislator’s office and schedule an appointment to meet with them.

• Share information about Advocacy Day with your colleagues and with families in your program. And please make sure each person registers, so we can share information with everyone who is interested.

Legislators need to hear the voices of educators, family child care providers, and families!

We are excited about building on the momentum that Advocacy Day has generated in past years, including last year and the year before.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy O’Leary, director of Strategies for Children’s Early Education for All campaign, at aoleary@strategiesforchildren.org or (617) 330-7384.

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In quotes: Investing in early education facilities

Posted in Facilities, Quotes, Strategies for Children on November 22, 2019| Leave a Comment »

In 2013, the Massachusetts Legislature approved a bond bill that included the new Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) Capital Fund. The fund provides grants to programs that want to repair or renovate their spaces — everything from fixing roofs to adding more classroom space.

“Along with many others, I helped to advocate for the reauthorization of the bond bill in 2018 which included the EEOST Capital Fund. It has been absolutely AMAZING to see the transformation of the programs that have received the funding. The difference is not just in the physical space — it can also be seen and felt in the classroom practices and from positive feedback from educators, administrators, and families. I am so encouraged by the number of programs that are applying for the funds and hope that we will secure annual bond allocations of the full $9 million that was authorized for the EEOST Capital Fund.”

— “Working Together To Invest In High-Quality Early Education And Care,” by Amy O’Leary, Insites, a blog published by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, November 12, 2019

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In quotes: child care is infrastructure

Posted in Child care, Facilities, Pre-kindergarten, Quotes on March 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

“The country is finally having a serious conversation about how best to care for children during their first five years before they enter school. What is missing from that conversation, however, is an acknowledgement of the abysmal conditions of many of our child care facilities and a commitment to fixing the problem. Parents should be able to leave their children in child care with the understanding that they are in safe and healthy learning environments that support their development — and this is just not happening.

“Luckily for these families, some states are starting to recognize the link between quality of facilities and quality of care.”

“Child care is infrastructure. We should treat it that way,” an opinion piece by Linda K. Smith, Roll Call, March 25, 2019

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In quotes: Educare Springfield

Posted in Early educators, Facilities, Family engagement, Head Start, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Pre-kindergarten, Quotes on September 21, 2018| 3 Comments »

Tasheena M. Davis and her son Noah

Earlier this week, officials in Springfield, Mass., broke ground on Educare Springfield, a new early education facility.

How important is this kind of progress? One answer comes from Tasheena M. Davis, a parent who spoke at the ground breaking. Here’s a printed version of what she said: (more…)

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Space matters: Massachusetts invests in improving early education buildings and facilities

Posted in Facilities, Funding, MA governor, MA Legislature, MA state budget, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Pre-kindergarten on September 18, 2018| 3 Comments »

Governor Charlie Baker (directly in front of Curious George) announces new facilities grants at the Crispus Attucks Children’s Center in Dorchester.

This summer, Massachusetts awarded $4 million in grants to help early education and after-school programs improve their physical spaces. The money comes from the Early Education and Care and Out of School Time (EEOST) Capital Fund, which was created by the state Legislature.

As we’ve blogged before, engaging classrooms, lively safe playgrounds, and well-designed bathrooms are some of the key features that create nurturing environments for young children.

But programs often can’t afford the costs of badly needed construction and renovations. That’s why these capital improvement funds are so important.

In a statement, Governor Charlie Baker said, “Renovating and repairing facilities helps achieve our goal of improving the quality of early education and care.” (more…)