Speak United

A Child Lost

Clare Sanford — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:36:57 -0500

You may not have noticed the story in Monday's Globe.More bad news, like background noise - just another person you've never met, who had problems that you couldn't do anything about. Big deal - turn page to see photo du jour of Tom Brady and Gisele.

Except this was different. read more »

Thrive in Five

Clare Sanford — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:49:25 -0500

Wednesday, March 12 was a good day for the young children of Boston,and their families. The launch of Thrive in Five was the culmination of several years of work to create a vision for Boston's young children and a citywide action plan to prevent the achievement gap. A massive public-private effort convened at the request of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (with a significant and ongoing investment of resources by United Way), Thrive in Five is built on research and recommendations from myriad sectors touching the lives of young children: early
education and care, early childhood advocacy, research and higher education, K-12 education, health and mental health, community-based/immigrant/multi-service organizations, parenting education/family support/early intervention programs, basic needs and human services, parent advocacy/engagement programs, faith/arts/culture/recreation organizations, and the foundation and private sector arena.

Whew! Exhausted yet?

Thrive in Five created a common definition of the oft-used term,
"school readiness" in order to guide people and organizations across
Boston in their efforts to support young children. It reads as follows... read more »

Language Barriers and Access to Child Care

Clare Sanford — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:55:05 -0600

Imagine for a second that you are in the market for child care. You have enjoyed raising kids full-time, but the mortgage isn't getting any cheaper, and you're itching to get back to your professional life. Having never used child care, you have many questions. How much will it cost? Am I eligible for any financial assistance? How do I know a quality program from a mediocre one? What if I only need care part-time, or at odd hours? What if I need a place that is appropriate for both my infant and my preschooler? What if I'm interested in care providers of a certain ethnic or cultural background?

Important questions. What if you can't ask them? ... read more »

Toddlers in Prison

Clare Sanford — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:11:41 -0600

A New York Times Article points to a program requiring children born to incarcerated mothers to live with them inside prison. How do you feel about children living with incarcerated parents? read more »

Mental Health Screening for Young Children

Clare Sanford — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:01:51 -0600

Last Sunday's Boston Globe ran a letter to the editor expressing concerns over young children being screened for mental health concerns. This letter (The second of two hosted on this page) showed that there has still not been enough public education about exactly what such screening entails and the benefits that can come from it. read more »