Shaping a Community Where Young Children Thrive
The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood works to develop an easily accessed, aligned and coherent system of affordable high-quality education and care that begins with prenatal care and extends through third grade in Cambridge.
The office serves as Cambridge’s central coordinating hub for early childhood information and quality improvement. Our work can be summarized by three core concepts:
- Start early. Over the first five years of life, 90% of a child’s brain “architecture” develops. This lays the foundation of all future learning.
- Quality is essential. Because of the rapid growth of children’s brains, having access to high quality early learning opportunities is crucial to addressing the opportunity gap and improving all children’s outcomes.
- Strengthen “the village.” Children and families benefit the most when the services that support them are coherent and continuous. Professionals who support children and their families must work together to support children’s development.