Our vision for early childhood in Massachusetts
Building and sustaining a family-centered, equitable, and comprehensive system that meets families’ basic needs, including:
- Prenatal, postnatal, pediatric, and mental health care that is high-quality, affordable, culturally responsive, and accessible
- Public resources on children’s developmental milestones
- Easily accessed developmental screenings and referrals
- From home visiting programs to job assistance, providing support for parents and caregivers in multiple languages and formats
- High-quality, affordable child care in each community that meets families’ many needs, including daytime and nighttime care, and providers who speak multiple languages
- Multiple career pathways and competitive, family-sustaining salaries and benefits for early childhood professionals
- Technology that connects parents and caregivers to early childhood resources
- Physical locations—libraries, doctors’ offices, grocery stores—where families can find early childhood resources
- Modern data systems that protect families’ privacy and help policymakers and the public make better-informed decisions
- A seat at policy tables—of city, state, and federal government—for families and early childhood professionals
A future where every child’s first 2,000 days would reflect the best of what we know."
What does early childhood in Massachusetts look like today?
To explore the journeys that Massachusetts families and young children take, and the various systems, programs, settings and professionals they interact with along the way, visit EC101.