UMass Boston

Impact

Early Education Leaders is building a racially and linguistically diverse network of early educators. Collectively, they are catalyzing the local and systemic change needed now to improve the quality of instructional practices and devise business innovations that will ensure that quality programs are available and accessible in low-income communities, and that the expertise of early educators is valued and respected. Our goal is to mobilize a critical mass of leaders so that every child care program in the U.S. has a trained leader and change agent.

Results

Our graduates have reached over 5,000 children and their families. They are opening new preschools; testing innovations in their practice; and achieving efficiencies in business operations through innovations such as shared services that free up resources for quality enhancements. They are conducting cutting-edge research and advocating for public policies that support young children and their families. They are re-energized and sustained with our alumnae Leadership Network that reinforces their leadership and retains them in the field.

Our approach to meeting the persistent challenges and systemic inequities in ECE sits at the cutting edge of knowledge creation and real-world practice. Our research and applied research-practice partnerships expands understanding and accelerates creative and critical thinking about ECE leadership, improvement, and innovation. Collectively, our work informs policy recommendations and proposals at local, state, and federal levels to transform systems so that they support, rather than undermine, the entrepreneurial leadership of early educators.

 

Stories of Impact

Building Political Power

  • Alicia Pugh- "How One Maryland Educator Found Her Voice—and Her Leadership—Through Leading for Change"

Education Parents and the Public

  • Puaʻena Vierra-Villanueva- "How Puaʻena Vierra-Villanueva is Driving Systems Change to Create Safe Spaces for Hawaiian Language Learning"

Advancing Early Care And Education via Scholarship

  • Ami Patel and Julie Smith- "Two PMC Grads Team Up to Provide Resources to FCC Providers"

Creating Community

  • Janine Pagano - "Leading for Change in Pennsylvania: Janine Pagano"