Early Education Leaders, an Institute at UMass Boston

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Our work centers the racially and linguistically diverse early ed workforce: Relational and entrepreneurial leadership training for early educators, and original research into how systems and policies can be redesigned to cultivate early ed leadership.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, Early Education Leaders Executive Director Anne Douglass, PhD, will deliver the keynote at a semin...
10/14/2026

On Thursday, Oct. 22, Early Education Leaders Executive Director Anne Douglass, PhD, will deliver the keynote at a seminar on early childhood educational leadership at Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile. 🇨🇱

In her talk, “Early Childhood Education Leadership as a Driver of Change and Quality,” she’ll discuss the role center directors play in improving quality, and practical ways they can lead that work. The seminar brings together directors and system leaders from across Chile’s early childhood field to look at new research and how to put it into practice.

Learn more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4hXjoL1

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!Today, Early Education Leaders honors the Indigenous peoples of this land: their histories...
10/12/2026

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

Today, Early Education Leaders honors the Indigenous peoples of this land: their histories, cultures, languages, and lasting contributions. The institute also celebrates the Indigenous children, families, and early educators in communities across Massachusetts and beyond. Every child deserves early learning that reflects and respects who they are and where they come from.

When the workday starts before dawn, child care has to be ready.A new evaluation report by Early Education Leaders looks...
10/08/2026

When the workday starts before dawn, child care has to be ready.

A new evaluation report by Early Education Leaders looks at Care That Works, Community Labor United's pilot that connected parents in union jobs and apprenticeships with family child care providers who opened as early as 5 a.m.

For families who were matched, reliable early-morning care made it possible to get to work on time, stay in training programs, and go back to school.

The report also outlines what it would take to expand this kind of care: dedicated coordinators, incentives for providers, affordability supports for families, reliable payment systems, and partnerships across child care, labor, and workforce development.

Read the full report ➡️ https://bit.ly/3TNdWlN

What happens when early educators spend less time sitting through trainings and more time solving classroom problems tog...
10/05/2026

What happens when early educators spend less time sitting through trainings and more time solving classroom problems together? A new Child Trends blog post shares a decade of lessons from the Culture of Continuous Learning project. Anne Douglass, Executive Director of Early Education Leaders and one of the project's co-principal investigators, co-authored the post with Kathryn Tout, Tamara Halle, and Meg Bredeson of Child Trends.

At the center of the project is the Breakthrough Series Collaborative. In it, teams of early educators from within and across programs work with coaches to improve their social-emotional learning practices with children. Together they test small changes in their own classrooms and build improvement habits that last.

The authors found that educators who took part in the collaborative:

🤝🏾 valued learning alongside teams from other programs
📊 used continuous improvement practices more often and grew more intentional about using data
🗓️ participated most fully when center directors championed the work and paid planning time was provided
🌱 saw new skills spread to staff who weren't part of the original team

As the field looks for ways to make professional development more relevant and impactful, the authors argue that investing in chances for educators to learn, reflect, and improve together is an important step forward.

Read the full post ➡️ https://bit.ly/4dnTezF

🍂 Crunchy leaves, pumpkin patches, cozy sweaters — fall is full of things young children can see, touch, and talk about....
09/28/2026

🍂 Crunchy leaves, pumpkin patches, cozy sweaters — fall is full of things young children can see, touch, and talk about.

The Boston Public Library has put together "Fall Into a Good Book," a curated list of children's books that celebrate the autumn season. It includes fiction and nonfiction, from board books to early chapter books, with titles like Amara's Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood, Lunch in the Leaves by Marzieh Abbas, and Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak.

For early educators, it's a ready-made resource for read-alouds, classroom library refreshes, and seasonal themes. Pair a story with a nature walk, a leaf sort, or a conversation about how the world changes around us. 📚

Thanks to the Boston Public Library for this great collection!

Learn more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4hPKGnD

Do you serve families through Massachusetts' Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) program? Researchers at Boston Unive...
09/24/2026

Do you serve families through Massachusetts' Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) program? Researchers at Boston University, in partnership with the MA Dept of Early Education and Care want to hear from you.

The study looks at the day-to-day experiences of early education and care providers and organizations that serve families receiving CCFA. The survey is available in English and Spanish. Each completed survey is entered into a weekly raffle for one of two $500 Amazon gift cards.

Learn more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3TosS9P

Massachusetts is taking a fresh look at how it funds public education, and there will be an early childhood voice in the...
09/23/2026

Massachusetts is taking a fresh look at how it funds public education, and there will be an early childhood voice in the room.

Governor Maura Healey has appointed Amy O'Leary, Executive Director of Strategies for Children, and Kristen Smidy, a former Western Massachusetts teacher, principal, and superintendent, to the Foundation Budget Review Commission. The fiscal year 2027 budget reconvened the Commission to review the Chapter 70 school funding formula and strengthen Pre-K–12 school financing.

O'Leary has spent more than two decades as a preschool teacher, early education program director, and nationally recognized leader in early childhood education. She said she looks forward to helping "ensure that the foundation budget reflects what it truly takes to provide every child with the opportunity to thrive—from the earliest years through graduation."

Smidy, who serves on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, brings her experience managing rural school budgets to the Commission.

Congratulations to both appointees! 👏🏾

Read the full press release ➡️ https://bit.ly/4xJKT0D

ICYMI: Early Education Leaders submitted a public comment urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to wit...
09/22/2026

ICYMI:

Early Education Leaders submitted a public comment urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw its proposed changes to Head Start.

The proposed rule would cut the Head Start Program Performance Standards from roughly 130 pages to about a dozen. The comment, signed by Executive Director Anne Douglass, Ph.D., focuses on what that would mean for the educators and leaders Head Start depends on.

The rule would:

❌ Bar programs from rewarding credentials with higher pay, so an educator who earns a degree does the same job for the same pay the day after as the day before
❌ Remove the ratios, group sizes, and coaching that program leaders need to support quality
❌ Find its biggest savings in more children per teacher, shorter days, and fewer coaches, home visitors, and mental health staff
❌ Require English-only instruction, putting multilingual educators' jobs at risk
❌ Remove the process for resolving disputes between parents on the Policy Council and a program's governing board

Public comments are open through October 6.

Learn more ➡️ https://blogs.umb.edu/earlyed/2026/09/17/early-education-leaders-urges-hhs-to-withdraw-proposed-head-start-rule/

Registration is still open on StrongStart for a new round of professional development for early childhood educators: Pee...
09/22/2026

Registration is still open on StrongStart for a new round of professional development for early childhood educators: Peer Mentoring in Practice, Professionalism in Early Childhood Settings, Environment in Early Childhood Settings, Family Engagement in Early Childhood Settings, Foundations of the Pyramid Model, and Improving Your Practice: Continuous Quality Improvement in Action — offered separately for family child care, center-based, and out-of-school time programs.

Several of these trainings are part of the EEC Level 1 Educator Credential professional development package, so completing one is a step toward earning the credential. They also count toward the annual professional development hours required by EEC.

To enroll, log in to StrongStart, select the Catalog, and choose "Instructor Led Courses" — or filter by the tag "EEC Level 1 Professional Development Credential Training."

More info ➡️ https://bit.ly/4yybFto

Yom Kippur begins at sundown this evening. Early Education Leaders wishes a meaningful fast and a peaceful day of reflec...
09/20/2026

Yom Kippur begins at sundown this evening. Early Education Leaders wishes a meaningful fast and a peaceful day of reflection to all who observe.

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150 Mt. Vernon Street Suite 458
Malden, MA
02125

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