Developing Universal Pre-K

Thursday, May 19, 2022

The Birth to 3rd Grade (B3) Partnership is serving as the lead office in the design, development, and implementation of the City’s system of Universal Pre-K (UPK). The work of creating UPK in Cambridge will involve two key components. First, B3 will scale up the key components of its current work to include the entire early childhood landscape, including its scholarship program, quality improvement supports, and professional development. Second, B3 will align the City’s numerous Pre-K options, quality standards, and application processes into one uniform set of standards and a single point of access for information, and subsequently, enrollment for Pre-K.

During FY22, B3 completed a strategic planning process that yielded a proposed governing structure and three distinct task forces for its work: workforce development, program quality, and family hub. A UPK Leadership Team has been established, and representatives from the City, Cambridge Public Schools, and the community will contribute to the work of an advisory committee and the three task forces to establish recommendations for the system. B3 is actively engaged in research and data collection that will yield important information for assessing and making decisions moving forward. A UPK Project Manager will be hired in FY22 to support the planning and implementation of UPK.

In FY23, B3 will work diligently to scale its existing work in direct alignment with the vision for UPK, including increasing the number of children and families supported with financial assistance to access high quality preschool. By the end of FY23, B3 will have a completed UPK Program Guide that outlines all of the requirements necessary for participation with UPK.

Image of preschool student

Developing Universal Pre-K

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