Subscribe to C-Speak so you never miss an episode. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Saskia Epstein, SVP PNC Bank in New England, sits down with Eneida Roman, president and CEO of ALX, and Kristin McSwain, senior advisor for early childhood and director of the Office of Early Childhood for the city of Boston, to discuss the state of early childhood education in the region.

McSwain shares how she became interested in early childhood education and what led her to become involved in The Boston Opportunity Agenda, as well as to spearhead development of programs for young people and child care in the Office of Early Childhood.

“I think it’s really important for our child care providers to see themselves as business leaders,” McSwain says. “They’re providing those first formative four or five years for our littlest learners that are really important for the economic prosperity of our region.”

In the episode, Roman discusses the fact that a significant amount of child care providers in Massachusetts are Latina and how she has focused on providing programs for those individuals to set children up for success.

“I have this immense awareness of how important it is to make sure we have a structured child care space for children so that when they’re ready to enter a school, they have the basic knowledge and tools to be able to be successful,” Roman says.

Listen to hear more about:

· The Boston Opportunity Agenda and early childhood initiatives (1:59)

· Boston’s approach to early childhood and the child care census (5:50)

· Mentorship and business skills for child care providers (13:57)

· What actions the business community can take to support early childhood education (26:23)