Photo of the first ECAF Leadership Council Group 2009-2010 who worked on the restructure of the organization (top). And today, the Leadership Council remains strong with founding members and new members (bottom).  Picture from End of the Year meeting, June 2023 celebrating the finalization of the Strategic Plan 2023-2028. Thank you for all members' contribution to the process!
*Please note all members are not present at these meetings as we have over 100 representatives committed to the early childhood education community. 

Welcome to the Early Childhood Alliance of Framingham
A collaboration of community advocates who believe in and actively promote early education.

We welcome new members from the early childhood community. If you would like to learn more about how to become a group member, contact us.

Leadership Council approves the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan  

MEETING DATES AND TIMES BELOW:

Next Steering Committee Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the Month at 11:30

Next Leadership Council Meeting: March 20, 2024 
ECAF BBIP Event: May 4, 2024

ECAF Leadership Council Meeting Schedule

2019 - Look how we have grown!

Photo taken at the Annual Brain Building in Progress event sponsored by the ECAF every year.

Recent History of Organization
In 2011, ECAF Leadership Council moved into the next phase of developing the organizational structure and the 3 Year Strategic Plan.  You can read documents about our progress and accomplishments by clicking on the links in the table below. Our sincere thanks to the EEC and the Sudbury Foundation for funding these efforts.

The ECAF Leadership Council Strategic Planning Group is recognized for their evident commitment to the process as well as their ongoing dedication to serving all children in Framingham. Thank you for your time, patience, enthusiasm and expertise.

We are also grateful to our facilitator, Dodi Swope, who guided us skillfully through the process.

And so the seeds are planted now let the garden grow...  We planted additional seeds in our neighboring community of Ashland in 2014 where we developed the Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) site, which flourished.  In the summer of 2017, we decided to have the MetroWest YMCA take on Ashland, Holliston and Hopkinton communities, where they will continue to grow a strong CFCE under a new name "Project ABC".  We are happy that we played a role in the development of a strong program and enabling the expansion to these communities.

The winter of 2018 was spent on updating our early childhood needs assessment.  We have made much progress in the last 8 years and seen many strengths in how we all support families and our community partners.  To view the full report, click this link 

Early Education Research

Research plays an important role in the Early Childhood Alliance of Framingham's ability to advocate effectively in building a better future for children, families, and community.  To fulfill our mission, we need as a community to have empirical data to support what we already know is true--the earlier we invest in children's health, education, and welfare, the greater the outcomes for learning and life long success. As a fellow investor in the future welfare of children, the ECAF provides the following links to help us in our advocacy efforts:

• Kids Count 2021 Data Book Interactive
• Brain Building in Progress
• CAYL Institute 
• Center for the Study of Social Policy
• Child Welfare Information Gateway
• Children's Defense Fund
• Harvard Family Research Project
• National Education Policy Center
• Strategies for Children
• Strengthening Partnerships Framework
• US Department of Education Publications
• Zero to 3 Infographic