The Home for Little Wanderers: Early Childhood - The Home for Little Wanderers

The Home's early childhood programs are designed to ensure the healthy development of children and youth by intervening with support and resources for families at risk and working to stabilize each child's family environment.

Allston Brighton Early Childhood System of Care

Since March of 2007, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay has funded The Home for Little Wanderers to lead a four-year initiative to develop an early childhood system of care in Allston-Brighton. The system links comprehensive community-based services to better support children ages birth to seven years old and their families, making it easier for them to connect to the programs and resources they need.

The Early Childhood System of Care encompasses a wide array of early childhood and family services from prenatal care, to family literacy, English as a second language, health and mental health screenings, housing, nutrition support, employment counseling and parent education. Many of Allston-Brighton’s organizations, schools, and health care providers have already become partners in our effort. The goal is to bring the entire community into the system.

Visit the Early Childhood System of Care section to learn more.

Preschool Outreach Program
Early Childhood 2

The Preschool Outreach Program is a prevention and early service program for children under the age of six years old and their families. The Program provides both direct services and training/consultation services. Direct services such as play therapy, social skills groups, and family therapy are provided for identified children and their families. Training and consultation services include parent skills training in neighborhoods throughout Boston, and training and consultation on social and emotional competence for providers of early child care and education in Boston. Community partnerships which sponsor the work of POP are: ABCD Head Start, ABCD Child Care Choices of Boston, independent child care and education centers of the 0-8 Coalition, the Boston Public Health Commission, and other independent family and center-based child care settings. Service for children and families is provided at Head Start, at the early child care and education center, in the family's home, or, less frequently, at the offices in Roslindale. Training for providers occurs at a central community location, such as a child care center or a Head Start. Since the children are young, and the families are frequently in an early stage of family development, early intervention in the life cycle of the child and the life cycle of the family is preventive and supports the entire family's growth and development.