^{“We have the opportunity to create a system where the work of early childhood education is equally compensated and where we value the wellness and labor of this workforce.”}

Unite.

Lisa Grant leads the Cambridge Office of Early Childhood, which this year launched a program to offer preschool for all 4 (and some 3) year-olds in the city. Achieving this required braiding together a disparate ecosystem and keeping people at the heart of the structures developed. Throughout, Lisa’s work has centered the families navigating this system and the educators who are nurturing the city’s children.

Lisa shows us how clear strategy can support collaboration when we stay human about the impact of the work.

^{The project: We worked with Lisa in 2021 to co-create the strategic plan for the Birth to 3rd Grade Partnership (now the Office), focused on the systemic work necessary to implement universal pre-k. Read about the Cambridge Preschool Program here.}