Wheelock College began hosting the Annual Community Dialogue on Early Education and Care in 2005. The event brings together state administrators, providers, policymakers, educators, and many others seeking to improve the quality and effectiveness of early childhood education.

Learn about the past Annual Community Dialogues.

2012 Conference
2011 Conference
2010 Conference
2009 Conference
2008 Conference
2007 Conference
2006 Conference

2012 Annual Community Dialogue

"Moving From At Risk to At Promise: Transforming Policies, Practices and Communities to Support Young Children and Their Families"

All children deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential. No child should be at risk; all children should be at promise. Access to high quality early education and care is key to meet this goal.

• What policies at the federal, state and community level are needed in order to help fulfill this promise? How do they support the children, the families and the professionals who work with them?
• What role will Race to the Top/the Early Learning Challenge Funds play in moving Massachusetts forward to have all of its youngest citizens at promise?
• How does the desire to support the growing number of English language learners mesh with the current reality?
• What kind of policies and practices are needed to support all children and all early childhood professionals, both English Language Learners and English proficient?
• What role do families play in meeting these goals and how can the field and the State support families to give the best possible early education and care options to their children?

This Community Dialogue focused on these and other questions as we heard from guest speakers from national and state organizations and engaged in discussion with them about ways to strengthen systems, policies, and practices so that all children are "at promise."

Guest Speakers

• Helen Blank, Director of Leadership and Public Policy working on child care and early education issues at the National Women's Law Center, Washington, DC. Download her speech (pdf).
• Dr. J. Andrés Ramirez, Assistant Professor in Educational Studies and Coordinator of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Intensive Program, Rhode Island College, Providence, RI.
• Sherri Killins, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
• Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Goal Statement

The goal for the day was to begin the process of transforming policies, practices, and communities in support of young children and their families to assure that all children are at promise through sustainable systemic change. This included how the Early Learning Challenge Grant awarded to Massachusetts (2012-2015) can serve as a catalyst and how to effectively address the professional development of our diverse workforce in order to achieve the goal.

Download the 2012 Program Agenda and List of Speakers (pdf)

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2011 Annual Community Dialogue

"Developing New Leaders, Alliances and Solutions"

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2010 Annual Community Dialogue

Guest Speakers were:

• Danielle Ewen, Director, Child Care and Early Education Policy Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
• Ms. Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, Director, Office of Head Start Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Dr. Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Early Learning, U.S. Department of Education
• Dr. Sherri Killins, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
• Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, Massachusetts Executive Office of Education

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2009 Annual Community Dialogue

Information to come.

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2008 Annual Community Dialogue

Information to come.

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2007 Annual Community Dialogue

"We Can Get There From Here - A Vision for Workforce Development"

See the 2007 Summary Report (pdf)

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2006 Annual Community Dialogue

"First Annual Community Dialogue"

More than 150 policy makers, community leaders, practitioners and other advocates gathered at Wheelock College to discuss next steps for further developing a system of early education and care for all children in Massachusetts. The conference topic was: Workforce Development for Our Diverse Early Childhood and School-Age Workforce

See the 2006 Summary Report (pdf)

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