In order for cities to grow and thrive, it is crucial that local leaders put families first and support the needs of children and caregivers. Boston and its city leaders have long demonstrated this commitment to families through efforts such as the city’s universal pre-k initiative, which began in 2005 under Mayor Thomas Menino and has continued to evolve with the goal of providing affordable, high-quality early education and care to all families. Today, Mayor Michelle Wu is working hard to continue the city’s historical commitment to families and to make the City of Boston the best city for families.
“My goal is for Boston to be the best possible home for all of our families. I want our children to be set up for every success. That’s not a one-and-done task, it’s one that will require ongoing effort. My hope is that, a hundred years from now, when our great-grandchildren are in charge, I want them to be building on the foundation we laid.” – Mayor Wu
Under her leadership, examples of these efforts are plentiful and span across city departments and neighborhoods. In fact, as NLC’s Early Childhood Success team continues to learn about the history, state and vision of early childhood in Boston, in partnership with Boston’s Office of Early Childhood and through the Decades in the Making initiative, this focus on supporting families continues to appear as a prominent theme and as a key to Boston’s early childhood success. The Early Childhood Success team is excited to be able to lift up the following examples of ways that Boston is striving to be the most family-friendly city:
1. Hosting Family-Friendly Programming
Boston is focused on making the city a fun, exciting, enriching place for all families. In June 2024, the Office of Early Childhood hosted Boston’s inaugural International Day of Play celebration, a family-friendly event that was free, open to the public and offered children and families the opportunity to celebrate, experience the power of play and learn about city and community resources. The City of Boston also has several ongoing family-friendly programs such as the Connect, Learn, Explore program, which launched this summer and helps young people learn to swim, connect with the arts, play a sport, learn to bike and connect to nature. So far the program has helped teach 2,000 young people how to swim, ride a bike, or play an instrument. The City has also started BPS Sundays, a new program that gives Boston Public Schools students and their families free access to Boston’s cultural institutions, such as the Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium.
2. Expanding Access to High-Quality Universal PreK
During her tenure, Mayor Wu has continued Boston’s commitment to early education by prioritizing making high-quality childcare affordable and available to residents. During her first year in office, she created the Office of Early Childhood, which is dedicated to achieving universal, affordable, high-quality early education and care for Boston’s youngest learners. Further, to ensure that care is accessible and a good fit for Boston families, the City launched Great Starts, a one-stop enrollment platform, in March 2024. This platform allows families to search for providers by distance, size, and whether the program is dual language, as well as enroll for the program directly on the platform.
3. Incorporating Family Voices
Boston also ensures that the voices, needs and priorities of families are an integral part of public policies, programs and decisions by giving opportunities for feedback and incorporating this feedback into their decision-making. An example of this practice is the Office of Early Childhood’s childcare survey which launched in 2019. This survey, which is available online and in paper format and is translated into 7 languages, gives families the opportunity to share their early education and care needs and informs city policies. Mayor Wu also hosts regular Neighborhood Coffee Hours during which she and staff from City departments meet directly with constituents in neighborhoods around the city to hear and respond to their concerns and interests.
Through family-friendly programming, expanding access to affordable, high-quality early education and care and incorporating family voices, the City of Boston is demonstrating its commitment to becoming the best place in the country to raise a family and helping Mayor Wu cement this as part of her legacy. While these practices may look different in every city, building a family-friendly city is crucial for any city looking to attract and retain families and for communities to thrive.
Decades in the making
Explore the other cities that are participating in NLC’s Decades in the Making initiative. This initiative provides a glimpse into city priorities around early childhood, shares lessons learned throughout the years, and reflects on the elements of a well-aligned system and how these elements can be implemented effectively to address the needs of children, families and the early childhood workforce.
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