In December, 2011, Massachusetts was named as one of only nine states to receive grants under the federal “Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge” – a successor to the Obama administration’s competitive K12 “Race to the Top” program. The State will get an infusion of as much as $50 Million over four years to expand access to high quality early care and education – and to continue strengthening the systems that support this expansion and ensure quality. This is a resounding endorsement of the efforts of countless advocates for Massachusetts’ youngest children, including several Barr grantees. We featured two of these grantees (Amy O’Leary of the Early Education for All, a campaign of Strategies for Children, and Mav Pardee of Children’s Investment Fund in an October post on Massachusetts’ new Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) – “A Big Leap for Quality in Early Education.” To help us make sense of this latest development, we turn to Barr grantee Strategies for Children – and its “eye on early education” blog. Here are some of the key posts and excerpts:

“MA Wins Early Learning Challenge Grant” - Massachusetts, one of nine states awarded grants from the competitive federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge, will receive the full $50 million over four years for which it was eligible. The commonwealth, with 267 points of a possible 300 points, had the second highest score of the 35 states (plus the District [...] 

“MA Plan for Early Learning Challenge Grant” - The start of a new year marks the start of implementing the Massachusetts Early Learning Plan outlined in the commonwealth’s successful application for the federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge [...]

“MA Governor Joins Early Learning Challenge Celebration” - “The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.” The familiar children’s song, performed by preschoolers from Boston’s Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House, set the tone for yesterday’s event at the Massachusetts State House celebrating the federal Early Learning Challenge grant[...]

- Posted by Stefan Lanfer, Knowledge Officer -