On a sunny day, in a grassy field, children play in the shade of a rainbow parachute waved gently above their heads by a circle of adults. A yellow construction sign appears with the words “BRAIN BUILDING IN PROGRESS” as a voice announces “a sign of future prosperity for everyone in Massachusetts.” 

This is a scene from a campaign called Brain Building in Progress. Launched in partnership with the Department of Early Education and Care in 2011, Brain Building in Progress aimed to raise awareness of the critical importance of children’s cognitive, social and emotional development, emphasizing its future impact on economic prosperity across Massachusetts. Since its launch, the campaign has distributed over 11,000 activity toolkits benefiting over 19,400 children, 13,000 families and 2,700 educators and held over 3,500 Brain Building in Progress events for young children in communities across the state. 

Brain Building in Progress is just one of several ground-breaking initiatives United Way of Massachusetts Bay has created and led to elevate what’s needed to ensure the healthy development of children, backed by science and evidence on what works. The awareness campaigns have been aimed at reducing stigma, increasing access to the resources families need, and bringing people and partners from different backgrounds and sectors to the table to address complex social challenges.  

When a 1996 study revealed 26% of children under age six in the United States were living in poverty, United Way took action. 
 
“What’s needed is a broad-based change in thinking that rallies people from all quarters,” said Charles “Chad” Gifford, then-President of Bank of Boston. “Investing in children surely is the most cost-effective investment we can make.” 

The belief in what can happen when people come together is what led United Way of Massachusetts Bay to develop and launch Success by 6, Massachusetts’ first early childhood awareness program. Launched in the 1990s, it uplifted the importance of the first six years to a child’s healthy development with the goal of promoting public policies that help children, connecting parents to resources, and helping to fund community organizations that support children and families. 

Success by 6 was a big undertaking, and one that required a big team behind it. To lead the effort, United Way convened the SB6 Leadership Council, a 50-member group of civic, business, and religious leaders chaired by BankBoston Chad Gifford.  

“What differentiates Success by 6 are its strategies to mobilize community resources in new ways,” Gifford said. 

Together with our media partner WCVB-TV, the council led a powerful public awareness and policy advocacy campaign. One of the campaign’s most visible legacies can still be found on Massachusetts roads today: the “Invest in Children” license plate. Passed through legislation and introduced in 1998, the specialty plate has raised more than $5 million for the Massachusetts Child Care Quality Fund, supporting efforts to improve the quality of early education. 

While the license plates became the most visible achievement of this campaign, its success throughout its history was packed with the kind of advocacy and movement-building that creates long-lasting change.  

In 1997, the SB6 Leadership Council brought the business community to the table, and its support became the tipping point for the passage of what’s known today as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which led to an increase in the number of children insured.  

The following year, the Council advocated for increased funding for newborn home visiting programs. These efforts led to passage of $5 million in state funding to support 25 local home visiting programs serving first-time parents.  

The SB6 Leadership Council also convened policymakers and experts to build support for early childhood investments. At a legislative breakfast, renowned pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton shared research on the importance of a child’s first three years of life; while BankBoston executive and SB6 Leadership Council member Ira Jackson outlined the Council’s plans to strengthen childcare and home visiting services. These two legislative priorities both received increased funding in the 1999 state budget. 

Later that year, UWMB’s CEO at the time, Marian L. Heard, Ira Jackson, and Betty Beene of United Way of America went to Washington to join John Kerry and Ted Kennedy in the fight for federal legislative action on childcare.  

These efforts are only a snapshot of United Way’s broader work to advance children’s health and wellbeing. Our approach has consistently combined public awareness, partnership-building, advocacy and cross-sector collaboration to tackle a community issue. We partner with business leaders. We work with legislators. We invite experts to share what they know. We bring together as many groups and leaders as possible to work together, learn from each other, and enact real change. 

That same strategy shaped the launch of Thrive in 5 in 2008, a Boston city-wide movement designed to ensure that children had the support they need to succeed in school and beyond. This program has been credited with increasing the percentage of children entering kindergarten with strong literary skills, as well as launching additional, related initiatives and improving early childhood program quality through Ready Educators Quality Improvement. In 2012, Thrive in 5 was honored with the Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award from the US Conference of Mayors for its Boston Children Thrive initiative. 

United Way also played a leading role in addressing developmental and behavioral challenges in early childhood settings. After learning that MA ranked 16^th in the nation for the number of 3- and 4-year-old children being expelled from early care because of social and emotional behavior, we launched support for early childhood screenings and teacher training. We required our portfolio of early care agencies to screen and assess each child for learning, social, and emotional delays.  

Each year, an average of 36,000 children were screened, with nearly 12,000 identified as having developmental delays. Among those who received research-based interventions, nearly 10,000 demonstrated measurable improvements.  

These results helped drive statewide policy change. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care ultimately required developmental screening for all children enrolled in licensed early care centers, increasing school readiness, reducing costs in special education for public schools, and improving educational outcomes. Building on that success, United Way launched the DRIVE initiative in 2014 to expand developmental screening to more children, working in partnership with early education programs, educators, and municipalities. 

Today, United Way – together with families, educators, youth, civic leaders, and public officials – is building the movement to expand Community Schools in Massachusetts, transforming schools into equitable, community-centered hubs to advance students’ academic success and overall wellbeing. 

Over the past four decades, United Way has shined a light on the importance of early childhood development, brought together cross-sector partners to advance solutions, and contributed to meaningful, long-term change the landscape of early education across Massachusetts.  

We will continue to raise awareness about proven approaches, scale what works, and convene partners across sectors to push for the changes that give children the best opportunities to thrive inside the classroom and out.