On October 8, Friends Center for Children hosted an online conversation on the critical need for investment in the infrastructure of the early care and education system. Friends Center executive director Allyx Schiavone introduced her vision for innovative pathways for public and private sector support, including the center’s first (and only) of its kind Teacher Housing Initiative, now providing rent-free housing to six early educators, with expansion plans to house one-third of the teaching workforce in coming years.

This discussion outlined how sustained, permanent investment in the early care and education system can ensure:

• Affordable tuition for high-quality care
• Increased supply of infant-toddler and preschool classroom spots
• Livable wages for educators
• Operating costs for providers that don’t outpace their earnings

Speakers included:

• Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Representative, CT-3
• Paris Pierce, Assistant Teacher and teacher housing resident, Friends Center for Children
• Karen DuBois-Walton, President, Elm City Communities
• Allyx Schiavone, Executive Director, Friends Center for Children
• Moderator Samantha Kupferman, West End Strategy Team