Author: Dilia Ramirez

Worcester Child Care Nonprofits Get Grants

August 13, 2013

Worcester Child Care Nonprofits Get Grants
Jacquelyn Gutc
Two Worcester-based organizations recently received funding for repairs and renovations from the Children’s Investment Fund (CIF).
CIF has awarded $50,000 in Facilities Improvement Grants each to Webster Square Day Care Center Inc. and the Guild of St. Agnes.
According to the CIF, the Guild of St. Agnes, a 100-year-old private, nonprofit childcare and education center, will replace its heating ventilation and air conditioning systems, leading to cost savings.
Webster Square will upgrade 4,000 square feet of outdoor play space to meet new safety standards at its facility on Main Street. CIF said the 61 children to attend the day care center haven’t been able to use part of the play area because it doesn’t meet safety standards for surfacing under play equipment.

Copyright 2013 New England Business Media
URL: http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20130813/NEWS01/130819983

SourceWorcester Business Journal

Day care centers receive funding

Sunday, August 11, 2013
Day care centers receive funding

WORCESTER — Two local day care centers have each received a $50,000 grant for repairs and renovations from the Boston-based Children’s Investment Fund.

The Webster Square Day Care Center on Main Street will use the money to upgrade 4,000 square feet of outdoor play space to meet new safety standards for surfaces under play equipment, and the Guild of St. Agnes, which has several day care centers in Worcester, will replace heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The Children’s Investment Fund is affiliated with the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, a public-private finance agency.

© 2013 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
URL: http://www.telegram.com/article/20130811/NEWS/308119985/1002/business

SourceWorcester Telegram

Loans to support new affordable housing, classroom space in Dorchester

July 17, 2013
Loans to support new affordable housing, classroom space in Dorchester
By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent
DORCHESTER – Two loans from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation totaling $940,000 were recently awarded to area real estate development organizations to support the creation of housing and classroom space in Dorchester, according to the agency.
Viet AID, a Fields Corner non-profit, will use a $665,000 loan to acquire land and develop affordable housing in the Four Corners neighborhood. The site, which is currently home to an auto body shop and nine vacant city-owned parcels, will eventually be turned into 35 residential units and 3,000 square-feet of ground floor retail space. Nine of the project’s units will be reserved for formerly homeless families.
“Viet AID is truly working hard to provide Dorchester with the basic building blocks of a strong community,” Roger Herzog, executive director of Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, said in a statement. “CEDAC is happy to support Viet AID as it increases housing and child care opportunities in Dorchester, and provides formerly homeless families the necessary services and support they need.”
Viet AID also received a $150,000 loan from the Children’s Investment Fund, a Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation affiliate, to convert vacant office space in the Vietnamese Community Center in Fields Corner into classroom space.
The Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation also received $125,000 as part of the loan. The Uphams Corner based real estate development agency will use the funds to renovate its Cottage Brook property in Dorchester’s Uphams Corner neighborhood.
Consisting of 19 buildings, renovations to the development include energy efficiency improvements.
“In Dorchester Bay EDC, we see an experienced community development corporation that is capable of managing complex housing development projects,” Herzog said. “The availability of affordable housing options in this area is vital to the community’s growth and development. I am confident that through the efforts to improve and preserve the Cottage Brook property, DBEDC’s continued efforts will benefit the Dorchester community.
—

© 2013 NY Times Co.
URL: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/dorchester/2013/07/hold_loans_to_support_new_affordable_housing_and_classroom_s.html

SourceBoston Globe

Homeless project in Waban gets $40,000 loan

July 04, 2013

Homeless project in Waban gets $40,000 loan
By Evan Allen

Newton – Less than a week after Mayor Setti Warren of Newton announced he would block federal funding for a controversial homeless housing project in Waban, the public-private Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation announced it had approved a $40,000 loan to the developer.
“It’s good; it’s a vote of confidence in the project and in us,” said Jennifer Van Campen, executive director of Metro West Collaborative Development, which is developing the project, called Engine 6. “It helps us to continue moving forward.”
The corporation had already approved a $15,000 loan, but on June 27 the board voted to increase the amount.
“This type of housing is a high priority for the Commonwealth,” the corporation’s executive director, Roger Herzog, said Monday. “Providing permanent supportive housing for the formerly homeless is something that we need in many communities across the state, including Newton.”
Engine 6 would turn a historic firehouse on Beacon Street, currently in use as nonprofit office space, into housing units for nine formerly homeless people and one live-in staff member. The Pine Street Inn would manage the house.
Metro West estimated that the project would cost around $3.1 million, and had requested nearly $1.4 million in federal funds managed by the city in order to move forward. The Newton Housing Partnership and the city’s Planning and Development Board had voted to grant the money, and the request was set to go before the mayor for approval this past Tuesday after a public comment period.
But the idea of Engine 6 enraged some neighbors, who feared the home’s residents could endanger their children or aimlessly wander the streets causing trouble. Last Tuesday, Warren announced he would not grant funding because Newton needs more time to discuss the proposal. The city will hold workshops on affordable housing in the fall, and Warren said he was open to considering the project again at a later date.
Herzog said that though the board knew of Warren’s announcement when it voted to increase the loan, the decision to increase the grant was in the works for a while, and was not a direct response.
The $40,000 can be used for predevelopment costs, he said. Van Campen said the money would probably be used for environmental or architectural reviews.
Metro West has a purchase-and-sale agreement with the Hospice of the Good Shepherd to buy the firehouse, and the sale is scheduled to close Aug. 12. Despite Warren’s announcement, Metro West has vowed to press forward with the project.
A spokeswoman for the Pine Street Inn said early last week that without the support of the city, it could not move forward, but later said Pine Street was “leaving the door open” and would be happy to work with Newton and Metro West if the funding situation changed.

URL: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2013/07/03/homeless-project-waban-gets-loan/K5p0dIIcWsIufjqDaK78xO/story.html
© 2013 The New York Times Company

SourceBoston Globe

Metro West, Pine Street willing to fight for Waban housing project

July 1, 2013

Metro West, Pine Street willing to fight for Waban housing project

By Trevor Jones

Newton – The developer behind the proposed redevelopment of the Engine 6 building into apartments for the chronically homeless isn’t giving up on the project, despite Mayor Setti Warren’s decision to withhold support for the project.

Jennifer Van Campen, executive director of Metro West Collaborative Development, told the TAB on Thursday that she was disappointed by the Warren’s decision to opt against granting $1.3 million in city-controlled federal funds toward the Engine 6 project.

“We understand and respect the mayor’s concerns and the concerns of the citizens,” said Van Campen. “We are happy to participate in a longer public discourse over the next few months if that’s what it takes to win people’s support.”

Warren, who last week said he “can’t support the allocation of funding for this proposal at this time,” wouldn’t rule out the possibility of backing the project in the future. “We are open to any and all proposals from Metro West and other developers,” Warren told the TAB Thursday.

Metro West is looking to spend $3 million to redevelop Engine 6, a former firehouse on Beacon Street in Waban owned by Hospice of the Good Shepherd. The Newton Housing Partnership and the Planning and Development Board voted to recommend the allocation of city-controlled funds, which would have allowed Warren to approve the funds any time after the close of a public comment period on July 2.

The proposal was presented in partnership with Pine Street Inn, which runs similar facilities in Boston and Brookline. Barbara Trevisan, a Pine Street spokesperson, said the project can’t go forward without the city’s support, but the nonprofit would be willing to come back to the table if Warren changes his mind.

“We can’t predict the future,” said Trevisan. “If things should change with funding, we would be more than happy to work to with Metro West and the city. We’re definitely leaving the door open.”

Metro West wants to build 10 studio apartments in the building, nine of which would be permanent housing for men and women who have lived on the street for more than a year and have a history of addiction, or mental or physical disabilities.

 
Reaction strong on both sides

The project has drawn strong criticism from residents who raised concerns about safety and impacts on the character of the neighborhood.

Yet a group of supporters has also emerged in the days since Warren withdrew his support. Residents Kathleen Hobson and Liz Baum have organized a group of 60 Newton residents called Supporters of Engine 6. Hobson expects the group to continue to grow.

On Monday, Metro West announced that the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) has increased a predevelopment loan from $15,000 to $40,000.

“The underserved population in Newton has had limited access to affordable housing and supportive services, and the proposed project will help to meet this need,” said Roger Herzog, Executive Director of CEDAC. “The Engine 6 project will focus on serving residents with ties to the Newton community, and providing them with quality housing options and guidance when needed. We have had a productive relationship with MWCD on two recent affordable housing developments and are looking forward to working with them on this vital project.”

Metro West submitted a funding request to the state earlier this year for the project, but it was rejected, according to Van Campen. She said the typical affordable-housing project gets rejected at least twice because of the high volume of applicants and the $1 million in state funding they are seeking likely wouldn’t come through until a third funding round in 2014.

The next application window with the state is in the fall, she said, and Metro West hopes to have the mayor’s backing by that time. If Warren doesn’t change his mind on the federal funding or at least endorse Engine 6, it could be too much of a hurdle for the developer.

“That could be the end of the project,” said Van Campen. “That said, we’d probably still continue to the best of our ability to seek other sources, but whether they could make up that big a difference remains to be seen.”

Van Campen and supporters of Engine 6 said they want to meet with Warren to explain why the project is a good one for the city – a request the mayor said he would be open to.

“My door is open to meet within anyone on this subject,” he said.

Warren continued his call for a community dialogue on this and other affordable-housing projects in the fall and said there wasn’t enough done to reach out to residents to inform them of the project and elicit feedback.

Warren’s decision to block the funding has drawn mixed reactions. Opponents of the project and those who still have questions praised Warren’s willingness to take a step back, while some supporters of Engine 6 have decried the move as caving to a vocal minority. Some have said the move came because Warren wanted to please affluent residents of Waban during an election season.

Politics had nothing to do with the decision, Warren said.

Alderman John Rice, who represents Waban, said it was a tough decision, but the right one. Rice said residents told him the project felt rushed and they had little time to make their concerns heard.

“We have a great opportunity right now to keep the dialogue going while there’s so much energy and emotion about it and turn it into something that could be a real positive for Newton,” said Rice.

Alderman Deb Crossley expressed disappointment that the public dialogue was ended abruptly. Crossley also represents Waban and helped arrange and run two public meetings on the project. A meeting on June 23 drew hundreds of residents and the discussion occassionally grew heated. Warren did not attend the June 23 meeting.

Candidates weigh in

Two likely candidates in November’s mayoral race also publicly criticized Warren’s decision.
Alderman-at-Large Ted Hess-Mahan issued a press release late last week calling for the mayor to reconsider his decision to withhold funding, saying it made “no sense” to cancel the public meetings and expressing concern that doing so sent the message that the city didn’t welcome affordable housing projects.

Tom Sheff said he agreed with Warren’s decision not to fund the project, but that public meetings should not have been cancelled.

“I wish the Mayor had allowed the discussion to happen,” Sheff told the TAB in an email Monday morning.

Warren defended his decision Monday.

“Since taking office, we have worked hard to change the tone and tenor of discussion on issues in our city, and we must continue to do so,” Warren said.

URL: http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x606637144/Metro-West-Pine-Street-Inn-willing-to-fight-for-Waban-housing-project?zc_p=0
Copyright © 2006-2013 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.

SourceWicked Local Newton

State House Bills Could Improve Early Education Spaces

June 19, 2013
State House Bills Could Improve Early Education Spaces
by Alyssa Haywoode
In 2011, a report from the Children’s Investment Fund (CIF) revealed the substandard conditions of some early childhood and out-of-school time buildings and facilities in Massachusetts.
One photograph in the report shows a big hole in the ceiling with dirty pink insulation hanging out. In another photograph a leaky toilet stands on a badly stained concrete floor. A third photo shows children playing in an empty parking lot.
We wrote about the report — “Building an Infrastructure for Quality: An Inventory of Early Childhood and Out-of-School time Facilities in Massachusetts” – in a blog entry posted here.
According to Marty Cowden, CIF’s associate program manager, one repeated reaction to the report’s worst findings has been “Oh my goodness, I’d never send my child to a place like that.”
For early education and out-of-school time providers the economic reality can be painful. “The poor condition of the facilities is a resource issue, not the result of providers’ lack of understanding or concern. Providers that serve our highest-need children are squeezed financially – subsidy rates and parent fees don’t cover their operating costs, so they have no cash reserves to renovate or build space that truly supports children’s healthy development and learning,” according to Mav Pardee, CIF’s program manager.
Fortunately, there will be State House action on this issue. Hearings will be held tomorrow on bills that would invest as much as $45 million over five years in bond funding for loans or grants to improve these spaces.
What the Report Found
Researchers examined conditions in 130 licensed sites in Massachusetts, including 73 early education settings and 57 out-of-school-time sites. They were located in a range of settings from community centers and former schools to religious settings and buildings that are entirely dedicated to serving children. Some programs owned spaces, others leased. An executive summary is available here. To download the full report register here.
The relatively good news in the report is that nearly all sites met:
­ 80 percent of 76 regulatory standards
­ 50 percent of 60 professional standards
­ 50 percent of 132 best practice standards.
The bad news is that the report found an array of problems including building code violations, bad indoor air quality, inadequate heating and cooling systems, entrapment hazards in play equipment, and inadequate plays spaces. A finding of particular concern is that only one program site was fully accessible to children with special needs; and that site had been built a year before the site inventory was conducted. Other buildings had been granted waivers.
The challenge is clear, according to a policy paper on facilities released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). States “need to simultaneously address two policy goals: building the supply of facilities and making sure these spaces are designed to support programmatic quality.”
Bills in the State House
Working with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, CIF supports three bills with similar language that are pending in the State House. A fact sheet is available here. The three bills are:
An Act Financing the Production and Preservation of Housing for Low and Moderate Income Residents that was filed by Representative Kevin G. Honan (D-Brighton) and Senator James B. Eldridge (D-Acton). This is a housing bond bill that would also set up an “Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund” to make grants or loans to eligible programs so they could buy, design, build, repair, renovate or rehab a facility. The bill passed in the House on June 5, and it will be heard on Thursday afternoon in a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. CIF’s Mav Pardee, program will testify at the hearing along with Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, a community-building agency, and Sheri Adlin from South Shore Stars, which provides early education and youth programs.
At this hearing, Pardee plans to point out that high-quality facilities:
­ benefit children
­ help create healthy, vibrant neighborhoods
­ provide high-quality options for working parents
­ and help close the achievement gap
In the House, Representative Jeffrey Sanchez (D-Jamaica Plain) filed an Act Relative to Early Education & Out of School Time Capital Fund. It would allot $45 million to create a capital fund to finance grants and loans. It will be heard by the Joint Committee on Education on Thursday morning. CIF plans to submit written testimony. Strategies for Children will also be testifying in support of this bill and the housing bond bill.
In the Senate, an Act Establishing an Early Education and Out-of-School Time Capital Fund, filed by Senator Sal N. DiDomenico (D-Everett), would also create a $45 million “Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund” to provide loans or grants. This bill has already had a hearing.
Advocacy Opportunities
Massachusetts residents, please contact the Joint Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets to let legislators know that you support bond funding to finance better early education and out-of-school time spaces.

URL: http://eyeonearlyeducation.com/2013/06/19/state-house-bills-could-improve-early-education-spaces

SourceEye on Early Education: A blog of Strategies for Children, Inc.

HOUSE PANEL READIES $1.4 BIL HOUSING BOND, ROAD OUTLAY BILLS FOR FLOOR VOTES

HOUSE PANEL READIES $1.4 BIL HOUSING BOND, ROAD OUTLAY BILLS FOR FLOOR VOTES

By Matt Murphy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JUNE 3, 2013….The House this week is poised to advance legislation that would invest $1.4 billion in housing investments over the next five years, the first of a series on long-term borrowing bills expected to surface this session in the Legislature.

A House committee also voted on Monday to advance a bill facilitating $300 million in spending on local road projects over the next year, and House Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Chairman Rep. Antonio Cabral said he expected the full House to vote on that bill as well on Wednesday, barring any last minute “hiccups.”

With the House planning a Wednesday afternoon session, the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets voted unanimously on Monday to recommend the housing bond bill (H 3464) and a bill (H 3488) setting the terms for borrowing $300 million to support the state’s Chapter 90 local road and bridge repair program.

The Patrick administration has raised concerns about the affordability of the $300 million road program, given the uncertainty of ongoing talks about raising taxes, and last week notified municipal officials that it would release only $150 million as it awaited resolution to debate over new revenue.

Cabral said the committee considered inserting language into the terms bill to “encourage” Gov. Deval Patrick to release at least $200 million immediately for local road repairs, which would be equal to the funding approved last year. Cabral said the committee ultimately decided to recommend the bill as written and to continue to put pressure on the administration through lawmakers and local officials to release more than $150 million. “I think we’re going to get there. It’s a matter of getting the governor to understand that the funds will be there,” Cabral said.

Testifying in support of the Chapter 90 terms bill, Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Geoffrey Beckwith said important local road projects and repairs will be delayed across the state and long-term costs will rise because the Patrick administration has agreed to release only half the funds authorized under a law approved unanimously by the House and Senate and signed in May by the governor.

“We’re very disappointed with this quite frankly,” Beckwith said.

Asked by Rep. Carl Sciortino whether the MMA could show a financial analysis proving the affordability of the $300 million Chapter 90 allocation, Beckwith said House and Senate Ways and Means Chairmen Rep. Brian Dempsey and Sen. Stephen Brewer, and Transportation Committee Chairmen Rep. William Straus and Sen. Thomas McGee had all testified to its affordability.

“We believe those are very strong, powerful and credible sources talking about the financial affordability of the Chapter 90 funding,” Beckwith said.

Michael Valenti, of the Massachusetts Highway Association, testified that there is $562 million in annual need to maintain the 30,000 miles of roads maintained by cities and towns. He said reducing Chapter 90 funding to $150 million would put “enormous burdens” on cities and towns by delaying repairs and requiring more costly road replacement projects in the future.

The Bonding Committee also took testimony on the housing bond bill filed by Housing Committee Co-chair Rep. Kevin Honan that would be the first long-term housing spending bill to come before the Legislature since 2008.

“This is one of the more important bills the Legislature can pass this session,” said Sen. Jamie Eldridge, the Senate co-chair of the Joint Committee on Housing.

Among the investments made by the bill is a $500 million authorization for the rehabilitation and modernization of state-assisted public housing. Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein said the bill would not create any new state-owned public housing, but would speed up the turnover of dilapidated units once they become vacant.

“There are not a lot of vacancies, but we’re trying to turn those units around quickly,” Gornstein told Rep. Paul Heroux, who asked if the bill would reduce wait times for public housing.

Cabral said the Bonding Committee made one policy change in the bill to encourage owner-occupied homeownership through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The amendment would require purchasers of homes with two to six units to live in the building for up to 10 years before the occupancy restriction is lifted. “We believe it will create better stability in these neighborhoods where investments are being made,” Cabral said.

The bill also includes $55 million to facilitate home modifications for the elderly and disabled to allow them to remain in their homes and stay out of nursing homes. Another $45 million is included in the proposed bill for the first time to support capital investments in early education centers that advocates said are “squeezed financially” and an important resource for low-income families.

Bob French, who runs the North Star Learning Center in New Bedford, said it is difficult for early education learning centers to generate the private financial backing necessary to build new facilities to support the learning needs of low-income children in public housing.

Sean Caron, chief of staff of Community Builders, also testified in support of the $20 million investment the bond bill would make in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program that he said was integral to private, affordable housing development.

Caron said Community Builders, a nationwide non-profit developer, is counting on the tax credit in its plans to develop the vacant Loom Works textile mill in Worcester into 94 units of new housing with parking and green space, creating 175 jobs in Worcester.

Charles Eisenberg, a member of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force, said the $500 million investment in rehabilitating existing units is “desperately needed,” and called the low-income housing tax credit program an important tool for expanding access to affordable housing and retaining a qualified workforce.

“This is Massachusetts. We don’t have gas fields or wheat fields. We have hard working people and they can move somewhere else if they choose,” Eisenberg said.

Thomas Connolly, executive director of the state chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, said the $500 million investment in state public housing would help address a $1.8 billion backlog of necessary capital improvements.

“This governor has been a great friend to public housing. But this is a five-year authorization bill so we just hope the next administration is as supportive of public housing as this governor,” said Connolly, who has recently clashed with the Patrick administration over the governor’s plan to consolidate oversight of local public housing authorities.

-END-
06/03/2013

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http://www.statehousenews.com

SourceState House News

Affordable housing advocates celebrate purchase, preservation of 6 buildings

June 3, 2013
Affordable housing advocates celebrate purchase, preservation of 6 buildings
By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent
Affordable-housing advocates last week celebrated the largest nonprofit affordable housing preservation sale in the state—one that has allowed a non-profit to preserve more than 800 affordable units.
Preservation of Affordable Housing, a non-profit that, purchased six affordable housing complexes from State Street Development Corporation last summer.
The six complexes located throughout the state consist of 841 affordable units for senior citizens and families.
“Today we’re celebrating the fact that this building and the five others in this portfolio will continue to serve as healthy, supportive, affordable housing for the long term,” Herb Morse, chairman of Preservation of Affordable Housing’s board of directors said during the celebration at the South End’s Franklin Square House, one of the buildings purchased by the organization.
“It’s truly a good preservation story, we succeeded in preserving and renovating more than 500 deeply affordable apartments for seniors in some of Boston’s highest cost neighborhoods.”
The other buildings include the Blackstone Apartments near Massachusetts General Hospital, the Kenmore Abbey Apartments in Kenmore Square, and complexes in Brewster, Orleans, and Hudson.
The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation provided one of its largest preservation loans to date with a $1.8 million loan to Preservation of Affordable Housing allocated through the Massachusetts Preservation Loan Fund. It is also the largest affordable housing preservation transaction ever supported by MassHousing, the state’s housing finance agency.
Aaron Gornstein, the state’s undersecretary for Housing and Community Development, said the preservation of these affordable units is a cost effective way maintain affordable housing.
“It’s better for the taxpayers because it’s typically more cost effective to preserve the buildings we have and renovate them than to build new construction from scratch,” he said.
Besides praising the recent purchase and renovations, officials and advocates also stressed the importance of affordable housing in general.
“What were doing here today is not just preserving affordable housing, we’re preserving a place to live,” Barbara Fields, regional administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “A big chunk of what provides for good health is where you live and the social connections you have.”
Morse, of Preservation of Affordable Housing, also thanked the residents who stayed in their homes during renovation work.
“Our residents were really good sports, they cooperated with the workers, they helped each other out, they communicated to us—and believe me they communicated to us—when they saw room for improvement.”

© 2013 NY Times Co.
URL: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/south_end/2013/06/affordable_housing_advocates_c.html

SourceBoston Globe, South End edition

Money approved for housing project

Sunday, May 19, 2013
Money approved for housing project

WEBSTER — A Boston-based nonprofit has approved $400,000 in funding to renovate the former Sitkowski School into an affordable housing project.

The Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. has approved $400,000 in funding for the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Inc. project to convert the former high school into a 66-unit development and community center for seniors, according to a press release from CEDAC.

“The development, known as the Sitkowski School Apartments project, will add to the continued revitalization efforts in Webster, while also providing affordable housing options for elderly residents,” the press release said. “Funding for this project was increased from $100,000 to $300,000 to assist NOAH in moving the project forward, now that it has received its state funding awards in February.”

CEDAC also approved renovations of a former school in Dorchester and a 4-acre site in Easthampton into affordable housing complexes.

URL: http://www.telegram.com/article/20130519/NEWS/305199991/1002/business
© 2013 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp

SourceWorcester Telegram & Gazette

A slightly different kind of Brain Building: how a bond bill can support early ed

Home › Russet Morrow › 2013 › May ›
Posted: May 17, 2013
A slightly different kind of Brain Building: how a bond bill can support early ed
In an opinion piece in this week’s Boston Globe, Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Jeffrey Sanchez wrote about legislation that would upgrade child care facilities serving low income children, to meet important quality standards.
United Way has been working with Children’s Investment Fund on this issue since 2011, when we helped fund the study that evaluated child care facilities operated by nonprofit, community-based providers. We’ve worked closely with them since then to push this legislation at the state house, recently testifying at a legislative hearing.
Working with over 50 organizations in our area that provide early childhood services in our neighborhoods, we know exactly how critical these programs are to working families. We also know through research that investing in young children and the environments where they spend their time is an investment in the future prosperity of the Commonwealth. Today’s children are tomorrow’s prosperity and it all begins with building young children’s brains.
The architecture of the human brain is constructed through an ongoing process that begins at birth. Just as the building of a home follows a sequence, brain architecture is built and shaped by early experiences. A strong foundation early on increases the likelihood of positive outcomes. Brains get built through interactions with parents, caregivers, and community. These “back and forth” interactions literally wire their brains.
The context and environments where brain building happens matters. Good physical spaces enhance the quality of the interactions between educators and children, reduce behavior issues in classrooms, and promote the general health of those spending up to ten hours a day in these spaces. Most child care spaces were not originally designed as educational settings, and as a result, lack appropriate, safe, healthy facilities.
The state has demonstrated its commitment to quality care and education through current investments to ensure that kids enter school ready to learn, and to close the achievement gap, through the implementation of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), and by leveraging federal resources such as Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge funding. This legislation would augment these investments by providing the means for those programs that serve our most vulnerable children to create effective, safe, and welcoming spaces to give these kids a good start. Additionally, it would enable facilities to more fully participate in QRIS, the state’s method of assessing quality in its early education and care and out of school time facilities.
We know what works. We know how to design and build effective high quality child care spaces. This bill will enable programs to have the funding to implement what has been proven effective. Children need programs that support their optimal development, and in the future, those children will repay the investment through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship.

URL: http://speakunited.org/blog/russet+morrow/2013/05/slightly-different-kind-brain-building-how-bond-bill-can-support-early-ed

SourceSpeakUnited, a United Way Blog