Brookline Early Education Consortium

The BEECON Project

Welcome to the BEECON Project—an initiative by the Martin Trust Partnership in Education for Early Learners, the Town of Brookline and the Brookline Community Foundation. Together we are building a collaborative network for and of Brookline-based early education providers to expand access to high-quality early education by investing in those who make it happen.

Goals & Impact

  • Expand access to tuition-free early education for children in low-income Brookline households.

  • Elevate educator practice through embedded, high-impact, professional development.

  • Foster cross-sector collaboration between early education stakeholders in Brookline.

  • Measure long-term outcomes in partnership with MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences through a longitudinal study following student progress into kindergarten and beyond.

About the BEECON Project

The Brookline Early Education Consortium is a four-year initiative to increase access to high-quality early childhood education for every family in Brookline.

Consortium

  • The BEECON Project will convene a town-wide network of early education providers, administrators, and stakeholders.

  • Members will meet regularly to collaborate, share best practices, and support the delivery of high-quality early education for Brookline’s youngest learners.

  • The Consortium is designed to help strengthen the entire early education ecosystem in Brookline by bringing together community members who care deeply about high-quality early education.

Town-Wide Professional Development

  • Beginning August 2025, the BEECON Project will offer five free DESE-approved PD sessions annually to any early educator who lives or works in Brookline, with participants receiving DESE Professional Development Points (PDPs) upon completion.

  • Sessions will be available in-person and online, and focus on the IntendED Learning System, which guides educators in implementing intentional, play-based learning.

  • Each session will equip teachers with skills for creating impactful classroom experiences.

  • Professional Development Calendar (Coming Soon).

Tuition-Free Access

  • Increase access to high-quality, early education programs across Brookline for low-income Brookline families.

  • Partner with Brookline Housing Authority and local organizations to identify eligible families.

Intensive Cohorts

  • Five Brookline early education programs will participate in a year-long, reflective practice cohort in 2026.

  • The selected programs will receive $30,000 in financial support in exchange for offering two tuition-free seats for eligible students over two years.

  • Educators from the five selected programs will receive on-site PD, coaching, and debriefing sessions, helping them implement and refine best practices in real time.

Longitudinal Study

  • In partnership with MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the BEECON Project will conduct a multi-year longitudinal study.

  • The study will track participating children through kindergarten and beyond to measure the impact of the professional development on children’s learning and the outcomes for students long-term.

  • Data collected will shape future policy and practice to better serve children and families.

Get Involved!

There are several ways to be a part of the BEECON Project.

  • Join the Consortium
    Any early education provider, administrator, educator, or stakeholder who lives or works in Brookline is invited to join the Brookline Early Education Consortium to collaborate, share resources, and strengthen early education town-wide.

  • Register for Professional Development
    All early educators who live or work in Brookline are eligible to participate in free, DESE-approved professional development sessions beginning in August 2025—offered both in person and online and eligible for DESE Professional Development Points.

  • Apply to Become an Intensive PD Partner
    If you operate an early education program in Brookline serving between 5 and 100 children, you can express interest in becoming one of five Intensive PD Partners who will engage in a year-long, on-site professional development experience with Trust Early Learners and IntendED.

  • Support the Project
    Community members, families, local businesses, foundations, and others can help sustain and expand the BEECON Project by contributing to its continuation beyond the initial ARPA funding period.

For more information about the BEECON Project please contact Ann Gogol at 617-546-8211 or Ann@TrustEarlyLearners.org