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Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has long been known as a as well as a . There鈥檚 more to the picture, however, than summertime wealth and power. described 鈥渁 continuing housing crisis and some of the deeply ingrained inequality affecting the rest of the country.鈥�

The Vineyard鈥檚 year-round population, which largely comprises tradespeople and service industry workers, does not lead a glamorous lifestyle, explains Joanne Lambert, a longtime early child educator on the Vineyard. 鈥淪imple geography limits our resources,鈥� she says, especially with regards to affordable housing. A community needs assessment in 2018 also revealed high-quality child care to be a 鈥渟ignificant concern.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 called family child care for a reason,鈥� says Lambert, who is leading an effort to increase the quantity and quality of home-based programs on the Vineyard. Recipient of a to promote sustainable island living as well as a 2021 from the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative, she provides mentoring and professional development for Martha鈥檚 Vineyard鈥檚 community of educators.

鈥淭he Zaentz FCC Innovation Networks Award was designed to highlight and strengthen precisely this type of provider-led peer learning work,鈥� says Zaentz Initiative co-director Nonie Lesaux. 鈥淔CC programs have so many strengths and play a pivotal role in our diverse communities nationwide. As we think about the pandemic recovery, FCCs are crucial; they are set up to serve small, mixed-age groups of children, and they are often more flexible than other care types. Yet FCC educators tend to lack the support and professional networks that are available in other early education settings. We are thrilled to be able to support educators like Joanne, who are leading meaningful, innovative work that will benefit their colleagues as well as the children and families they serve.鈥�

Lambert notes that on the Vineyard, as is the case around the country, the pandemic has opened people鈥檚 eyes to the importance of reliable, high-quality child care to the functioning of the economy. In addition to the mere fact of having someone to look after the children, the benefits of getting them ready for school are proven in study after study. Kindergarten teachers report that the children who鈥檝e been through FCC are more developed in their social skills than those who did not.

FCC, Lambert explains, often makes sense for children who are too young for a child care center or who aren鈥檛 going to thrive in a center. 鈥淭hey get individual attention,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e really get to know those kids.鈥�

After 30-plus years as an early childhood educator and business owner on Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, leading the network has meant a new stage in Lambert鈥檚 career. 鈥淚 found a career I loved,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 my turn to spread the word and, hopefully, to build up the supply to come closer to meeting the demand.鈥�

The opportunities Lambert sees on Martha鈥檚 Vineyard include:

• Immigrants. She mentions a Brazilian woman who wants to provide care beyond the Vineyard鈥檚 community of Portuguese-speaking families but is finding that English-speaking families are hesitant. Fostering a greater understanding on the island of the benefits inherent in early exposure to languages and cultures could lead to more immigrants finding child care to be a viable career choice, which would expand the pool of providers鈥攁n economic and social win for everyone.
• Real estate. There isn鈥檛 a lot of undeveloped land on the island, but existing homes and buildings could be renovated to accommodate child care. Collaboration among and other local stakeholders might lead to solutions that expand the availability of space for care.
• Workforce. Lambert engages with parents who might solve their own child care needs and become part of the bigger solution by opening a licensed program at home. In addition, Martha鈥檚 Vineyard Regional High School leading to certification in early childhood education.

On any given day, Lambert might help a provider with the process of securing or renewing a license to provide care, advise someone on the renovations necessary to bring spaces up to code or speak to a group about the opportunity of pursuing early childhood education as a career path. In addition, she holds structured get-togethers with 10 licensed care workers every month. Initially, these sessions brought experts from elsewhere in the state, but the pandemic made arrangements challenging, and this obstacle led to a realization for Lambert: 鈥淲hy not connect better with the resources we have right here?鈥� The Vineyard has an artistic community to draw upon; it has musicians and yoga teachers. It has business owners with an array of expertise relevant to child care business proprietors. 鈥淐ontracts, payment schedules鈥攖hat鈥檚 like Greek to them,鈥� she laughs.

In other words, if island life contributes to some of their problems, it鈥檚 also a source of their strength. 鈥淲e have to depend on each other,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have to be creative.鈥� As the Vineyard emerges from the pandemic, Lambert is gratified to see a renewed sense of commitment among families and businesses to finding solutions together. 鈥淭he idea of a network is catching on,鈥� she says.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 麻豆精品. Learn more here.