Compared to K-12 schools, early childhood systems in most communities are a mishmash, involving public, private and nonprofit programs and providers — including many individuals who operate child-care centers out of their homes. It’s not only fragmented but, as COVID-19 closures showed us, pretty fragile.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is trying to change that. In 2022, she created an Office of Early Childhood to consolidate and coordinate existing city programs and strengthen the local early childhood ecosystem. To lead the effort, she hired Kristin McSwain, who previously led an outside organization advocating for early childhood changes.
With a small staff of five and an operating budget of $750,000, McSwain is focusing on three areas. One is expanding the city’s pre-K program by bringing home-based providers into the system. Another is investing in child-care workers by paying for their degrees and certifications and using grants to raise starting teacher salaries from $17 to $20 an hour. Third is making it easier for parents to navigate the confusing landscape of providers by launching a one-stop website.
McSwain has been able to tap into federal pandemic relief funds, as well as partnerships inside and outside of City Hall. “We do a lot for the minimal budget we have,” McSwain says. “And we’re able to do that because we’re partnering with other parts of the city to deliver on what our constituents have told us they would like from us.”
Officials across the country are looking to have an impact when it comes to early childhood develop-ment. COVID-19 has a lot to do with it. Boston alone lost nearly 1,400 child-care spots during the pandemic, leaving parents in the lurch. Local leaders are also responding to research showing the importance of high-quality education from birth to age 5 in children’s brain development and educational outcomes. In June, Illinois created a stand-alone Department of Early Childhood.
Birmingham, Ala., has invested $1 million in a program focused on language development in very young children. New Orleans raised property taxes to offer a thousand families with low incomes high-quality child care for free. Las Vegas; Jacksonville, Fla.; Anchorage, Alaska; and other cities are boosting professional development opportunities for caregivers and helping in-home care providers strengthen their businesses.
There are no simple solutions in the scattered early childhood landscape. To make a difference, local leaders need to do several things. First is to use data and feedback from parents and caregivers to identify the biggest local problems, while also building political will toward finding and financing solutions. Second is to build partnerships both inside and outside of government to try novel approaches and expand on what works. And third, it helps to put a collaborative leader with subject matter expertise in charge of coordinating the local ecosystem.
Tonja Rucker, an early childhood expert with the National League of Cities, notes that some mayors are creating formal early childhood offices like the one in Boston, while others are turning to more informal cabinet groups and advisory panels. “Wherever you see that,” she says, “it makes a difference in driving outcomes and brings gravitas to the work.”
