Early Childhood Coffee and Conversation: When the Bough Breaks

The first  Early Childhood Coffee and Conversation of the 2021-2022 series featured a conversation with Massachusetts Commissioner of Early Education and Care Samantha L. Aigner-Treworgy, and a preview of the December 2021 report, "When the Bough Breaks," from author Sarah Jackson, which captures the multiple ways our struggling early education system is failing children and caregivers.

The conversation began with Commissioner Aigner-Treworgy reviewing her department's plans for increasing the availability of high-quality child care throughout the state, both by investing in creating and supporting child care centers, and with efforts to recruit, train and better compensate center operators and staff. (Due to a technical issue, her portion of the conversation was not recorded.) After the Commissioner, author Sarah Jackson presented highlights from the upcoming report (released on December 13, 2021), which included her conversations with parents, caregivers, child care center operators and advocates about the challenges centers and care seekers face, and the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had on child care in Massachusetts.

Commissioner Aigner-Treworgy's and Sarah Jackson's slides are both available on this page.

Event Agenda

Welcome & Introductory Remarks
Elizabeth Pauley, Associate Vice President, Education to Career, The Boston Foundation

Overview of the Workforce Crisis
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, Commissioner of Early Education and Care, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Preview of When the Bough Breaks, a forthcoming paper from TBF
Sarah Jackson, Author
 
Discussion and Audience Q&A
Elizabeth Pauley, Associate Vice President, Education to Career, The Boston Foundation (Moderator)