Pia Caronongan
@piacar.bsky.social
Studying early care and education access and quality @wheelockpolicybu.bsky.social @buwheelock.bsky.social
Expanding early care and education access requires growing the early educator workforce. Our new WEPC brief from @piacar.bsky.social runs the numbers for Massachusetts: for every educator added, roughly four more must be recruited just to replace those who leave. Read the full brief below.
Understanding ECE Workforce Needs in Massachusetts
Analysis of recent investments in ECE programs in Massachusetts. Shows that a stronger workforce is key to meeting demand.
wheelockpolicycenter.org
The first three years of life are a critical period for child development—but many families struggle to find affordable, high-quality care. In a new chapter, Pia Caronongan examines the research on infant and toddler ECE. Read more: livehandbook.org/early-educat...
Day 1 of #AEFP2026 features several presentations from WEPC and @buwheelock.bsky.social faculty, including brand new research on early educator wage growth from @piacar.bsky.social. We will also be hosting a can’t miss Policy Dialogue on higher ed finance at 3:15. Join us!
In just a few days, WEPC will be at this year’s Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) Conference in Chicago! Stay tuned for info on the 15+ panels and presentations from our faculty and staff, and check out a full program below. bit.ly/WEPC-AEFP2026 #AEFP2026 @buwheelock.bsky.social
Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average. climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
A full fact check on what's going on in Minnesota, wading through the politics & spin of this story. In short, there is no evidence of widespread child care fraud. We take you through the inspection data & government reports into the issue from the past decade. 19thnews.org/2026/01/chil...
Here's what's really happening with child care fraud in Minnesota
Evidence is nowhere near the epidemic levels a viral YouTube video would suggest — but it hasn’t stopped a crackdown on child care funding. Here's a fact check.
19thnews.org
Coming to #APPAM2025 #2025APPAM? Hear what we've learned about ECE workforce compensation and financial support strategies in MA, IL, ME and DC. ⏰Friday, November 14, 8:30am 📍Room 708 (Sol Duc)
Going to #APPAM2025? Come to our panel where @bertabartoli.bsky.social will present our paper on the impact of sleep and time policy on student disciplinary outcomes. Paper draft (with a title we are very proud of) linked ⏰Friday, November 14, 3:30 to 5:00pm 📍Room: 504 - Foss tinyurl.com/3earym6n
APPAM Fall Research Conference 2025
convention2.allacademic.com
Really appreciate the attention here to all the moving parts. The devil is in the details but also this seems like a great opportunity to build on learnings from recent innovations in compensation strategies, FCC integration in pre-k, and FCC incubators to name a few.
Mike Elsen-Rooney@michaelelsenroo.bsky.social · 10mo agoMost of the conversation about whether Mamdani can deliver universal child care has focused - rightfully - on cost. But I've been curious (as a reporter and parent of an infant + toddler) what it would take operationally. So I talked to lots of knowledgable ppl: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
NEW — I dug into the story of ICE abducting a 13-year-old boy in Massachusetts and moving him 500 miles across state lines without notifying his mother, local cop's complicity, and how the federal government's justification for such cruelty is already falling apart:
ICE took a 13-year-old they said had a gun. Local cops say he didn’t.
Now he's detained 500 miles away from his Massachusetts home.
thehandbasket.co
Thanks to this family for sharing their story of fleeing Texas for the safety of their trans teen www.teenvogue.com/preview/stor...
Why a Trans Teen Fled His Texas Home to Find Safety: "Daily Danger Zone"
“We drove over the Red River Valley and we were giving middle fingers out the window."
teenvogue.com
The White House is taking new steps to undermine every international student at our universities. It has approved a new rule restricting student visas to 4 years max. That's not long enough for PhD students, or about half of undergrads, to finish their degree. Likely to enter force within days.
Child care teachers in the US make about $32,000 a year. This (and tough working conditions) has created mass child care teacher shortages & extremely high turnover rates.Our child care industry has long relied on immigrants, especially in big cities. My latest: hechingerreport.org/americas-chi...
America’s child care system relies on immigrants. Without them, it could collapse - The Hechinger Report
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Maggi’s home in a suburban neighborhood here is a haven for local families. It’s a place where after just a few weeks in Maggi’s family-run child care program this spring, one pres...
hechingerreport.org
Some states are seeking to deregulate child care. Advocates are fighting back www.the74million.org/zero2eight/s...
Some States Are Seeking to Deregulate Child Care. Advocates Are Fighting Back
How advocates in three states beat back proposals to increase child care ratios.
the74million.org
Here's a partial typology of titles: 1) X and Y 2) Say What You Found 3) Wordplay: Serious 4) Very Short (usually advisable only for future Nobel Prize winners)
🤔 What kind of Pre-K experience sets students up for long-term success? Our new working paper offers important new evidence to help answer this question! 🔗 edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai25-1194.pdf And 🧵👇
A new bipartisan bill would require private insurers to fully cover the cost of childbirth with no co-pays or deductibles. Average out-of-pocket costs today is ~$3,000. It’s a big deal, with an unusual origin story, and backed by an even more unusual alliance of orgs 🧵 www.vox.com/policy/41491...
America might finally make childbirth free
An unlikely alliance is supporting a new bipartisan bill in Congress.
vox.com
Some things never change in that Bon Iver makes me cry and I will happily watch Noah Wyle work his magic in an ER
omg gigil is in the dictionary we've really made it www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/s...
Oxford Dictionary Adds New Words, Including ‘Gigil’ for Extreme Cuteness (Gift Article)
The Oxford English Dictionary added 42 new words borrowed from other languages, including gigil, a Tagalog expression for witnessing something adorable.
nytimes.com
#AEFP2025 has been quite a success. We're really proud of and excited by the work and thoughtful engagement in policy-relevant, rigorous research on display by all of our @buwheelock.bsky.social faculty, students, WEPC alumni, staff and partners. Thanks for a wonderful few days!
Spending 90 minutes with this amazing panel yesterday talking about early education and care data learnings and needs was such a bright spot and honor. @dbassok.bsky.social @piacar.bsky.social #AEFP2025
Welcome to Bluesky @cscce.bsky.social ! Added you to this starter pack go.bsky.app/SpVmXZP
Come join us! @aefpweb.bsky.social We'll discuss the unique experiences and needs of the ECE workforce and strategies for supporting them. We'll also reflect on how to leverage the broader evidence base on supporting educators and the workforce. #AEFP2025
Wheelock Educational Policy Center@wheelockpolicybu.bsky.social · last yr.Featured Policy Dialogue Session up next at 3:30 What does it take to build the Evidence Base for Implementing ECE Workforce Strategies at Scale? Hear from @piacar.bsky.social @dbassok.bsky.social Sara Mead @checky22.bsky.social Michelle Maier Our white paper on topic at: buff.ly/WHhEUST
