FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 7, 2022

CONTACT: Ellen M. Ganley, Director of Policy & Public Affairs

EGanley@wcac.net

O: 508-762-9807

C: 508-826-7885

Worcester, Massachusetts - Worcester Community Action Council will host the first of four planned Community Conversations on Friday, March 18th from 10-11:15 a.m. The forum entitled Early Education and Care: An Economic Imperative for Success will feature a dynamic virtual discussion about the the current state of early education and care and crucial pathways to increase support for childhood development, professional development and necessary shifts in policy required to sustain and bolster the early education and care sector. 

The panel discussion will be moderated by Eve Gilmore, Executive Director of Edward Street and member of WCAC's Board of Directors, and feature

Tom Weber, Executive Director, Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education; Amy O’Leary, Executive Director, Strategies for Children; and Llanet Montoya, a licensed in-home family child care provider from Worcester.

The conversation will focus on critical areas where the early education and care sector needs support, actionable items the field and community can take to help sustain and grow the sector, lessons from COVID and impacts on childhood development, and areas where the sector requires attention to survive as a critical component to maintain the economy. 

Free to attend, advanced registration is requested at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/292359855197

Subsequent Community Conversations topics will include: Requiring Systems Change Across the Safety Net; Climate Change and Resiliency; and The Future of Work