Facts In Action

In June the Massachusetts Legislature made a remarkable commitment to the children of the Commonwealth by establishing a new Board and Department of Early Education and Care in their FY05 budget. Consolidating the state's multiple early education and care programs into one streamlined independent agency powerfully affirms this state's commitment to high quality early education and care.

The new Board of Early Education and Care is charged with a number of tasks including to:

• Design and implement a voluntary system of universally-accessible high quality early childhood education for all preschool-aged children in the Commonwealth;
• Create and oversee a comprehensive evaluation of early education and care programs, including a kindergarten readiness assessment system; and
• Craft and manage a workforce development system, which will address training and compensation of the early education and care workforce.

Additionally, a portion of the Board's $600,000 FY05 appropriation has been designated for eight planning grants to support up to 12 communities in designing universal high quality publicly-funded preschool systems.

What does the timeline look like for this initiative? In July, the three-Commissioner Council on Early Education and Care, created in last year's budget language, will begin developing a comprehensive plan to transition the current administration of early care and education services to the new consolidated department.

Also, a 21-member Advisory Committee will begin studying the foundational and organizational elements essential for building a first-rate early education and care system in Massachusetts.

Both the Council and Committee are due to report to the legislature by December 2004. The Board will appoint a Commissioner of Early Care and Education by April 2005, and the new Department will go into effect July 1, 2005.

At this time, it's awaiting final review by the Governor; he can approve or veto it. This will be followed by a final review and approval by the Legislature. Stay tuned as this stands to be a monumental development for all children and families in Massachusetts.

Facts in Action, July 2004