Research Report Coordinating Services for Families with Children from Birth to Age 5
A Landscape Review of Initiatives in Massachusetts
Elly Miles, Eve Mefferd, Diane Schilder, Kimberly Lucas, Jonah Norwitt
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In Massachusetts, when families with children from birth through age 5 search for information about and connections to early childhood services, they face a complex maze rather than a coordinated early childhood system.

To document Massachusetts initiatives designed to coordinate early childhood services, the research team conducted a landscape review of efforts in the state. This report describes existing programs and initiatives that provide families with information about and connections to a range of early childhood services. 

Why This Matters

This report highlights existing service coordination approaches in Massachusetts and is designed to inform the development of a comprehensive system of information about and connections to early childhood services for Massachusetts families with children from birth to age 5. 

What We Found

  • Over 50 initiatives offer coordinated services to Massachusetts families with young children, but these initiatives exist as a patchwork. Initiatives are rarely coordinated with one another, leaving families to navigate a maze in order to find information and connections to services.
  • Early childhood services were coordinated through three primary approaches: “no-wrong-door,” “hub,” and a combination of the two. No-wrong-door approaches rely on individual programs to link families with comprehensive services through referrals. Hubs connect families to services located together in one place. Combination approaches blend referrals for comprehensive services with colocation of some services. 
  • Many initiatives prioritize or restrict eligibility to specific populations, which limits the families that are able to access coordinated services.

What We Recommend

  • A combined hub and no-wrong-door approach that builds on existing initiatives to provide families with information about and connections to needed services.
  • A focus on reducing structural inequities in the early childhood system and offering universally accessible information and services. 
  • More research to identify initiatives in Massachusetts that focus on the coordination of service providers to document the role these providers play in supporting the coordination of information that reaches families. 
Research and Evidence Health Policy Family and Financial Well-Being Work, Education, and Labor Housing and Communities Tax and Income Supports Technology and Data Equity and Community Impact Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Expertise Families Nonprofits and Philanthropy Health Care Coverage, Costs, and Access Reproductive and Maternal Health Thriving Cities and Neighborhoods Taxes and the Economy Social Safety Net Research Methods and Data Analysis Early Childhood
Tags Child care Child care and early education Child care subsidies and affordability Child maltreatment and prevention Child welfare Children's health and development Community engagement Community-based care Early childhood education Early childhood home visiting Families with low incomes Family care and support Foundations and philanthropy Infrastructure Mental health Parenting Welfare and safety net programs Maternal, child, and reproductive health Public health State governance Social sector infrastructure Racial inequities in neighborhoods and community development Children and youth State and local finance Data analysis
States Massachusetts
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