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Archive for the ‘Multimedia’ Category

In quotes: a podcast explores the high cost of child care

Posted in Child care, Cost and affordability, Multimedia, National, Pre-kindergarten, tagged #affordable, #earlyed, #EarlyEducators on October 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

“Cost is one of the big reasons Julie Groce—an educator and mother in Grand Blanc, Mich.—waited until she was in her mid-thirties to have her son. ‘We wanted to be financially ready. We thought we were doing the right thing. Turns out, it didn’t matter. Like, it does not matter. It’s going to suck you dry no matter what,’ Groce recently told Fortune’s Alexis Haut on the new podcast focused on childcare, Where’s My Village?

“Like many parents of young children, Groce is counting down the months until she can enroll her son in public school. ‘We paid $1,200 a month, which is how much our mortgage is. So we pay two mortgages,’ she explains on the podcast, adding that their childcare provider, like many across the country, recently increased tuition costs.

“That cost, however, is a double-edged sword, Groce says. ‘I’m torn because on one hand, it is 1,000% worth it—the way that he’s growing and thriving, totally worth it. If I could pay more, I would, but I also want to be able to pay the bills and pay our mortgage.’ ”

— “Childcare costs are bleeding many families dry. This map shows how expensive it is in your state,” by Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, October 19, 2022

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Join us for a virtual screening of “Starting at Zero”

Posted in Child care, Developmentally appropriate practice, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Multimedia, National, Pre-kindergarten, Strategies for Children, tagged #earlyed, #ece, #SolveChildCare, #StartingAtZero on May 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

2020 has made it clearer than ever that child care and early learning are essential. America literally doesn’t work without it. #StartingAtZero is now available for virtual community screenings: https://t.co/dbxQppyKmI pic.twitter.com/JKETlROcDr
— StartingatZeroFilm (@StartingatZero_) October 21, 2020

Next month, please join us for a movie night.

On Tuesday, June 7, 2022, Strategies for Children is co-hosting the virtual screening of “Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America,” an exciting exploration of the value and potential of early education and care programs.

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion featuring Massachusetts community members who are actively involved in early childhood – and viewers will get to see the premiere of a Massachusetts companion video.

Or register here to see a recording of the event – with Spanish translation — that will be streamed at 6 p.m.

As its website explains, “Starting at Zero” explores “the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have the opportunity to attain the American Dream.”

(more…)

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Guest blog post by Cheyanne Nichter, a Strategies for Children intern

Posted in Child care, Early educators, Guest Blog, Multimedia, Research, Strategies for Children, tagged #earlyed, #ece, #MakingAdvocacyAccessible, #SolveChildCare on April 12, 2022| 1 Comment »

Cheyanne Nichter and her son

This Spring, I will be graduating from Bunker Hill Community College with honors and an associate degree in Early Childhood Development. Over the course of the semester I have been working as an intern for Strategies For Children, exploring issues and opportunities in our field as well as my own abilities and passions. I have also reevaluated my goals and future pathways in both my academic and professional pursuits. As a result of the pandemic, and the fact that I live in a child care desert, I took on these challenges with my young son on my hip.

During my time at Strategies, I saw first-hand how early childhood programs, families, diversity, sociology, research/data collection, and the pursuit of societal justice all intersect in the world of advocacy and engagement. This led me to do an independent research project that draws on my analysis of how the use of digital platforms and trends corresponds to social shifts, and how advocacy organizations can capitalize on digital resources to reach more deeply into the community. My presentation, “Modern Engagement: Making Advocacy Accessible”, covers how organizations can use interactive social platforms for effective communication and engagement. This approach uses modern communication tools and strategies that meet communities where they are, allowing them to access and participate in the dialogue and to use the advocacy resources within their personal bandwidth.

(more…)

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PBS NewsHour looks at America’s child care crisis

Posted in Child care, COVID-19, Multimedia, National on July 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Photo: RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Tune in today: PBS NewsHour is launching a five-part series called “Raising the Future: America’s Child Care Dilemma.”

“The struggle to find affordable, quality child care has always been one of the biggest issues for American families and Covid-19 only exacerbated the problem,” a press release says.

“This series examines the current state of the American child care system, its history, and the new movement for long-term reform in the post-Covid era.”

The series will look at the “fractured child care system and its impact on women, children, people of color and the economy.”

Here in Boston, the show airs at 6 p.m. on WGBH. Search here to find out when the show airs in your city, or watch the episodes online.

Here’s a rundown of the episodes that will all run this week:

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Preschool Expansion in Holyoke – the podcast

Posted in MA state budget, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Multimedia, Pre-kindergarten on February 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »

What does it take to expand pre-K? Take a look at Holyoke, Mass.

That’s where officials used a federal Preschool Expansion Grant to enroll children in high-quality early education programs and to reach out to and engage parents.

What made Holyoke successful?

Tune into Episode 51 of the Gateways Podcast to find out. The podcast, which is sponsored by local think tank MassINC, looks at lessons learned and future strategies.

Hosted by Ben Forman, MassINC’s research director, episode 51’s guests were:

• Amy O’Leary, director of Strategies for Children’s Early Education for All Campaign

• Steve Huntley, executive director of the Valley Opportunity Council, and

• Stephen Zrike, Holyoke Public Schools’ receiver and superintendent.

In a LinkedIn post, Tom Weber, the former commissioner of Massachusetts’ Department of Early Education and Care, called the podcast “a thoughtful discussion of an innovative public-partnership model that has delivered strong student outcomes…”

What’s next for Holyoke and other cities that want to expand pre-K?

As we’ve blogged, they could choose to use new Student Opportunity Act funding to invest in high-quality pre-K programs.

The sooner cities act the better, because as Amy explains in the podcast:

“All the research tells us that if we invest earlier and have high-quality programs, we’re going to see benefits for children and families.”

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Storytelling: a request — and a toolkit for advocates

Posted in Child care, Family engagement, Multimedia, Strategies for Children on January 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »

One tool that early childhood advocates use well is storytelling.

Stories about parents, children, educators, and programs help the public see the power of early learning.

Here at Strategies for Children, we share the stories of early educators and leaders in the field to show how public policy affects real people. Stories also illustrate how important it is to make meaningful public investments in young children. That’s why we also share stories with elected officials. Our goal is to give stories about constituents to all of Massachusetts’ 200 state legislators.

To enhance our storytelling work, we are asking for your help. Do you know parents who are willing to share their stories about finding affordable, high-quality child care? If you do, please contact us! We are currently collaborating with advocates and researchers to collect and publish these stories. So email any parent story tips to eyeonearlyeducation@gmail.com. (more…)

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The documentary film “No Small Matter” adds screenings in Massachusetts

Posted in Multimedia, National, Pre-kindergarten on March 7, 2019| 1 Comment »

“No Small Matter,” the documentary film about early education, has added more screenings in Massachusetts.

As we’ve blogged, the film is “designed to kick-start the public conversation about early care and education.”

The film’s website says, “Our future depends on our youngest. On how many words they hear in their first months of life. On how often they are held. On the kinds of experiences they have.”

“Yet even with business interests, scholars, and politicians on both sides of the aisle lining up to support the early childhood education cause, millions of American children are still not getting the care they need to succeed—or even to keep up.” (more…)

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A long-term look at early education

Posted in Early educators, Multimedia, National, Pre-K to 3, Research on November 29, 2018| 2 Comments »

Screenshot of NPR website

High-quality early education packs a powerful financial punch.

“You can think of having a better kindergarten teacher as being worth something like $300,000 for a classroom of students,” Harvard economist Raj Chetty said earlier this month in an episode of NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast.

In other words, a classroom of kids with a high-quality kindergarten teacher will earn $300,000 more than a classroom without a highly skilled teacher. What makes a good kindergarten teacher? Chetty says this isn’t fully known, but strong teachers have key skills such as the ability to manage a classroom, to help children focus, and to inspire them. (more…)

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Movie Night: Come see “No Small Matter,” a documentary film on early education

Posted in Multimedia, Pre-kindergarten, Strategies for Children on October 30, 2018| 3 Comments »

Free tonight?

Come to the Wheelock Family Theater and join us for a screening of “No Small Matter,” a film about the power of high-quality early education.

The film features “stories of real children, families, and teachers, illustrating the impact of high-quality early childhood experiences.”

“No Small Matter” is also “firmly grounded in science… opening up the ‘black box’ of what’s happening inside children’s brains with exciting, stimulating animation and the voices of compelling scientists, physicians, and ECE experts,” the press kit explains.

The film is “designed to kick-start the public conversation about early care and education.”

To promote this conversation, tonight’s screening will include a reception and a panel discussion. Here’s the full agenda: (more…)