Resource Library

This page provides an update of ECD Equity in Action plan current and planned activities for 2022-2023.

Families’ engagement in children’s learning at home and in early care and education programs can impact lifelong health, developmental and academic outcomes.

From birth, children are curious. You can build on that natural curiosity by developing their interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Use daily routines to build on skills and concepts in math and science. By talking, reading, singing, playing, signing or using other ways to communicate – whatever works best for your preschoolers – you can help develop their STEM skills through play and exploration.

This brief summarizes what the report says about the science of child development and learning.

The purpose of this policy statement is to support early childhood programs and States by providing recommendations that promote the development and learning of young children, birth to age five, who are dual language learners (DLLs).2 The statement also provides support to tribal communities in their language revitalization efforts within tribal early childhood programs.

Addressing Implicit Bias in the Early Childhood System

In the last quarter of 2013, homeless shelters across Massachusetts were overwhelmed by an influx of young families. Public agency managers from the Departments of Early Education and Care (EEC), Public Health (DPH) and Housing and Community Development (DHCD) mobilized together to help shelters manage, and to reduce the impact on children from instability, trauma and high-stress. Agency managers pooled financial resources from an infusion of Race To the Top funding and in-tervened to help shelter staff communicate and lead in ways that benefited young children and their families in the short-term, and contributed to children’s positive outcomes over the long-term.

This report explores how career pathways can offer an effective approach to address some of these challenges and support the current and evolving landscape of the ECE sector and its most disadvantaged professionals. Comprehensive and flexible education and training programs can make it easier for individuals to acquire industry-recognized credentials and higher education degrees to advance on a career trajectory. Effective career pathways approaches can also better serve workers that may experience significant barriers to education and employment advancement (i.e., low-skilled adults, and adults with limited English proficiency).

Through the Preschool Development Grants (PDG) program, 18 states are expanding access to high-quality programs for 4-year-olds from low- to moderate-income families in over 230 high-need communities. Data from all grantees and subgrantees, as reported in the Annual Performance Reports (APRs) covering January 1 to December 31 of 2015, found that over 28,000 additional children benefited from high-quality preschool in their local communities because of these grants.

The purpose of this guidance brief is to:

• Provide guiding principles for early educators (including those in home settings), early learning programs, schools, and families on the use of technology by young children to support them in making informed choices for all children.
• Inform the public, families, and early educators on the evidence base used to support these guiding principles.
• Issue a call to action to researchers, technology developers, and state and local leaders to ensure technology is advanced in ways that promote young children’s healthy development and learning.

While this brief addresses early learners from birth to 8 years of age, the Departments acknowledge that this is a large age span in the development of a child and what is appropriate for an 8-year-old is likely not appropriate for a toddler or infant. This brief focuses mainly on age-appropriate guidance for children ages 2-8. A special call out box titled, "What Is Developmentally Appropriate Technology Use for Children age 0-2?," on page 11 discusses technology use with children under the age of 2.