
Where We Work
We begin our work in partnership with a network of early childhood education providers in Greater Boston to identify shared challenges, and then co-design, test, and evaluate solutions. What works, we seek to scale in partnership with government to ensure the broadest impact. Informed by the outcomes of our direct service work, we also support a robust portfolio of policy, research, and advocacy work to advance the lasting reform needed to transform our broken sector into a high-functioning, equitable system.
Local Partnerships
We believe that those closest to the child care crisis are closest to the solutions. That's why we begin our work in partnership with a network of early education and care providers serving high-needs families, and approximately 3,500 people, in Greater Boston.
The Neighborhood is a network of independent early education and care providers with whom we partner to identify shared challenges and then co-design, implement, and evaluate high-touch solutions, from our Learning Through Exploration curriculum to our Early Relational Health program.
The Village is the next step: Where we partner with a larger cohort of providers to test the scalability of solutions piloted in The Neighborhood, delivering lighter-touch, centralized services from professional development to durable good distributions that can be scaled efficiently and effectively.


Statewide
What we test in The Neighborhood that proves successful, we work to scale in partnership with the public sector statewide. Our dedicated efforts focus on encouraging government adoption of our direct-service programs, practices, and tools. This, in turn, aims to increase family access to high-quality early childhood education and comprehensive support services, while also enhancing opportunities for educators to engage in professional development.
Our track record includes:
Partnership with the Commonwealth to operate a first-in-the-nation COVID-19 testing program
The successful scale of multiple workforce development programs, including our Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship program
Partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to bring instructional coaching into early education classrooms across the state
A new pilot to bring urgently needed early education services and material goods to serve young children living in the state’s shelter system
Nationwide
Throughout the country, we advocate for early education and care policy reform and implement innovative, scalable solutions that address the biggest challenges faced by providers and the families who rely on them.
We specialize in taking our ground-level, strategic interventions in the early education and care sector, and advocate for the public investment they need and deserve on the policy level.
Our hit podcast No One is Coming to Save Us helps amplify our voice and impact within the child care movement.

Neighborhood Villages Work In Action
In January of 2024 Governor Healey created an inter-agency task force on Early Education and Child Care to form a whole of government response to increase access to affordable, high quality child care. Read more about their goals here.
In 2024, the Massachusetts legislature passed a suite of policy reforms through the FY2025 budget which advocates had been pushing for since 2020. Here are the proposed regulation changes and what they mean for families in practice.
In 2024, Neighborhood Villages partnered with Amal Alliance, Horizons for Homeless Children, and the Healey-Driscoll Administration to launch Colori Express, an innovative mobile early learning initiative that provides developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed care to young children living in shelter and respite centers across Massachusetts.
The new Massachusetts’ legislative session began on January 1, 2025. While the legislative session in Massachusetts runs continuously for two years, all bills to be considered during the session must be filed in January. For this session of the state legislature, State Senators and Representatives submitted over 6500 bills.
Last month the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released the 2024 4th and 8th grade math and reading scores. NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, is a congressionally mandated assessment given every two years to public school students in grades 4, 8, and 12.
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
As we head into 2025 and an uncertain and unprecedented climate, Neighborhood Villages is as committed as ever to taking care of those who take care of young children.
In each issue of the Policy Pulse, you will find an overview of what’s happening with Massachusetts and national child care policy and information on what you can do to take action and join the movement for a transformed early education and care system. January brought a new federal administration, the start of the new state and federal legislative sessions, and the release of the Governor’s FY26 budget proposal.
At Neighborhood Villages, we believe that early childhood education programs have the potential to be powerful hubs for positive Early Relational Health (ERH).
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
We heard firsthand from many wonderful educators who reflected on their experiences completing the Lead Teacher program with Neighborhood Villages’ support. Check out some of their stories, here!
In 2024, we proudly launched our free, play-based toddler learning curriculum, Learning Through Exploration, designed for educators, caregivers, and parents.
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
Earlier this month, we partnered with Los Angeles-based non-profit Baby2Baby to distribute over 240,000 diapers across Massachusetts!
In this issue of the Policy Pulse we share recent electoral and legislative wins for early education and care and important updates from the most recent Department of Early Education and Care Board meeting.
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
In this issue of the Policy Pulse we share updates on several key areas of early education and Care in Massachusetts: Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3), Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) and higher education opportunities for early educators. We also share several upcoming events and important information on registering to vote.
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
Out-of-school-time (OST) programs, which play an essential role during these hours, provide more than just before and after-school care – it’s an opportunity for kids to discover their passions, gain confidence, and build critical life skills.
At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.
In this issue of the Policy Pulse, we're excited to share our recap of the Department of Early Education and Care's (EEC) September board meeting, provide an overview of the new policy framework and rules for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) operations grants program, and share opportunities to get involved with Neighborhood Villages' advocacy work in the coming year.
Have you ever wondered how the state decides to spend public money in your community?
At Neighborhood Villages, we set out to empower community members to learn more about this process and to advocate for the change they’d like to see.