Services to Newton Early Childhood Programs and Providers

The Newton Partnership (TNP) is pleased to announce that The Freedman Center for Child and Family Development (formerly WarmLines) at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) has been selected to deliver early childhood consultation services to Newton preschool and family child care programs.

The goal of these services is to enhance the ability of the staff of early childhood programs in the community to meet the behavioral, social, and emotional needs of children in their programs.

For the past three years, early childhood consultation services were provided to programs directly through staff at The Newton Partnership. In the final year of funding, The Freedman Center, building upon the strengths and success of the service delivery model for early childhood services up to now, will create a community-based model that can be sustained within the community.

“Research shows that a highly skilled and well-qualified workforce is a critical factor in the quality of an early education, and that quality programming is linked to positive outcomes for children,” says Susan Linn, Project Director of The Newton Partnership.   “While the quality of early education and care in Newton is already very high, kids still sometimes arrive at their child care program with issues and behaviors that challenge even the most experienced educator.  Having a trusted and respected consultant to help figure out how to navigate particularly tough situations can make a huge difference in a teacher’s ability to effectively work with children, as well as with their parents.”

“We look forward to working with The Freedman Center on this exciting collaboration,” continues Susan. “When we were considering how the early childhood services would continue on after our initial funding, we knew that we needed a partner that is understanding of the challenges and joys of working with young children, has content expertise, and solid consultation experience.  The Freedman Center has all of those qualifications, is well-respected in the community, and is ready to hit the ground running.  We couldn’t be more pleased with this partnership.”

Margaret Hannah, Executive Director of The Freedman Center, housed in the Newton Cultural Center at 225 Nevada Street in Newtonville, is spearheading the project implementation.  “We see consultation as an on-going relationship with programs, meaning that as we get to know programs and they get to know us, we can help with a range of issues.  For example, perhaps the consultant is visiting a school to observe and discuss a particular child’s withdrawn behavior, yet through the course of the visit, the consultation leads to a more general discussion about the “warning signs” of stress in young children.  The result is that one visit can benefit all children in the school or family child care environment.  We do similar consulting already both in and outside of Newton, so it’s a real treat for us to be able to offer this right in our own backyard.  We are very excited to have this opportunity.”

The work will be a combination of customized services to meet the particular needs of a program, including consultations, group trainings, and/or technical assistance.  These services are free for any licensed family child care or preschool program in Newton. Professional Development Points (PDP’s) will be offered for group trainings.

To make a request for services, download the request form below. Once it is completed, please attach it to an email or send by regular mail, along with any questions you may have.

NEC Services Request Form (xls)    NEC Services Request Form (pdf)

Email: freedmancenter@mspp.edu

Mail: The Freedman Center at MSPP, 225 Nevada St, Newton MA 02460

You may also call us at 617-244-4636 x123.