Edward Street

06/08/2026

On May 21, the Massachusetts Senate approved their $63.4 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Budget proposal.

This proposal makes several important investments in early education and care and increases funding for a few key programs in our system. However, it leaves several other programs without the funding they need to best support children and their families, and meet the access and affordability challenges our field faces.

Read on for Part 4 of our Budget Review series to learn about how the Senate allocated budget dollars, what this means for children, families, and educators, and how you can advocate with the Conference Committee to support early childhood success. https://www.edwardstreet.org/blog/massachusetts-fy27-budget-review-part-4-senate-makes-small-strides-early-education-and-care

06/01/2026

Congratulations to the graduates of Worcester Technical High School's Early Childhood Program and to Shelese Johnson, Early Childhood Education Instructor and Edward Street Board Member!

Today's blog:

Amy O'Leary spoke at the Pinning Ceremony honoring 19 graduates of Worcester Technical High School’s Early Childhood program.

https://eyeonearlychildhood.org/2026/05/28/amy-oleary-speaks-to-graduates-of-worcester-techs-early-childhood-program/

05/26/2026

Worcester’s Community Pregnancy Pop-Up Celebration brought families together for connection, support, and care.

Read our blog to learn how this community-centered event is making an impact: https://www.edwardstreet.org/blog/place-feel-seen-inside-worcesters-community-pregnancy-pop-celebration

05/15/2026

Ready, Set, Enter the Early Education Field! Congratulations to the 19 Worcester Technical High School students who were pinned at their Early Childhood Education Pinning Ceremony on Friday, May 8th. The graduates took and Oath to [Early] Education and celebrated their growth and learning alongside the amazing faculty and staff. Edward Street Board Member, Shelese Johnson led the team and offered heartwarming reflections on the student’s growth – they had become a community – and were ready to take their next steps. Amy O’Leary, Strategies for Children Executive Director, was the keynote speaker. She provided insights as new professionals stepping into the field and call to action to be active voices for children and find ways to lead and create the future our children need. Congratulations, graduates! We can’t wait to see you in Worcester’s early learning programs!

05/14/2026

This semester we welcomed Lamin Manneh as an intern from the Boston University Wheelock Master’s Program in Leadership, Policy, and Advocacy for Early Childhood. Lamin worked along side the team to learn more about the early childhood programs in Worcester, with a specific focus on helping us map Worcester’s Early Childhood Special Education Ecosystem. He had the opportunity to connect with leaders and educators across the community including the Worcester Together For Kids Coalition, Worcester Public Schools - Worcester, MA Special Education, YWCA Central Massachusetts, Mentor South Bay Early Intervention, Worcester Family Partnership, and many others. Thank you, Worcester for welcoming Lamin and supporting his learning. Last week Lamin had a chance to share his research and mapping with our Board of Directors. What a powerful project! Thank you, Lamin!

05/13/2026

On April 29, the Massachusetts House of Representatives released their $63.4 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Budget proposal.

This proposal, along with their FY26 Fair Share Supplemental Budget, makes some important investments in early education and care, but leaves other programs without the funding they need to best support children and their families.

Read on for Part 3 of our Budget Review series to learn about how this money is allocated, what it means for children, families, and educators, and how you advocate with your Senator to support early childhood success. https://www.edwardstreet.org/blog/massachusetts-fy27-budget-review-part-3-house-budget-supports-access-leaves-gaps-early

05/08/2026

Behind every bright future is a dedicated teacher. Today, we celebrate the passion, the heart, and the endless support you give to our children and our community. Thank you for making a difference every day! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

05/06/2026

Extended by popular demand! Edward Street’s 6th Annual Art Show, “Paper or Plastic? Recyclables to Remarkable” now open through May in the Printers Building Gallery. This year’s theme introduces an accessible, tactile art form including mediums like handmade paper making and plastic bottle sculptures. Read more about the art show by visiting https://www.edwardstreet.org/initiatives/paper-or-plastic-recyclables-remarkable.

05/05/2026

Joyful interactions between educators and children are evidence of strong, positive relationships, which are a crucial component of high-quality early childhood environments. Our Master Teacher, Jo Ann, brings joy to the classroom every day so that children can feel the joy, too.

One day, a group of children were working on creating paper dolls. This activity was inspired by the book Someone Just Like You by Helen Docherty and is part of our initiative, Squiggles and Stories: A Who We Are Project. Jo Ann talked with the children while they worked. The conversation inspired one of the children, Sally, to make Jo Ann a hat.

Sally carefully cut strips of paper and glued them together to make a crown. As she worked, she held her crown up to Jo Ann’s head to ensure that it was going to be the right size. “Look straight ahead!” she told Jo Ann, then carefully cut and glued on more pieces, re-checked, and adjusted until the crown was a perfect fit. She adorned it with stickers, then gave it to Jo Ann, beaming with pride.

Later, Sally decided to trace Jo Ann’s hand, then decorate it with stickers and drawings. By the time she was finished, Jo Ann had begun helping other children. Sally approached her, asking Jo Ann to guess what she had behind her back. Jo Ann made a couple guesses: “A gorilla? A zebra?” making Sally laugh. Sally offered a hint: “It has fingers!” Jo Ann then guessed that it was her hand. “Yes!” Sally said with a grin as she proudly revealed her drawing.

This activity provided Sally with an opportunity to practice and develop fine motor skills, problem solving, persistence, and creativity. More importantly, this joyful interaction demonstrated the strength of Jo Ann’s relationship with the children, and the power that relationships have to inspire engagement and learning in the early childhood classroom.

Squiggles & Stories: A Who We Are Project is made possible by a grant from the Reliant Foundation .