Making it Work

Better Care through a Stronger Workforce

Parents are working more hours than ever before, and increasingly families are depending on outside care for their children.

Despite research which consistently shows that staff qualifications are strongly linked to the quality of children’s learning, the early childhood workforce in Massachusetts does not always have access to opportunities that advance their skills or credentials.

Because skilled staff are so critical to child outcomes, United Way is working to improve professional development for Massachusetts’ workforce serving children and their families. This effort began with a partnership between United Way and the Schott Foundation for Public Education in 2005 which generated Making it Work, a blueprint for creating a professional development system for the early education and care and out-of-school time workforce.

United Way continues to promote workforce development and collaboration to support Massachusetts children.