“When it comes to early childhood education, and what it takes to provide that education, Lowell preschool teacher and parent Robin Perron said there are a lot of factors people often don’t consider.
“ ‘We have to think about transportation for kids … How do people get their kids to school?’ Perron told The Sun Tuesday. ‘Can they safely walk their child with autism to school? Do they have strollers? Do they have access to the bus? Can they get to the school buildings in the winter or when it’s raining?’ ”
“All of those factors and more were part of a much larger discussion on Tuesday between Lowell educators and elected officials as they seek ways to implement universal full-day preschool across Massachusetts. That discussion was preceded in the morning with state Sen. Vanna Howard and state Rep. Ken Gordon taking a tour of parts of Lowell’s preschool program at the YMCA, the Cardinal Early Learning Center and Murkland Elementary School, before they and local educators met in the LPS central offices for a roundtable discussion on the issue.”
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“The No. 1 challenge cited during the discussion was how to fund universal preschool with higher costs all around, and less funding coming from the federal government. In January 2024, Gov. Maura Healey announced an agenda to implement universal preschool in the state’s 26 ‘Gateway Cities,’ including Lowell.
“A lot has changed since then, particularly in the federal government after President Donald Trump’s return to office a year later. One of the biggest impacts of Trump’s second term has been the cuts his administration has made to federal spending, including through the Department of Education. [Lowell Early Childhood Coordinator Lisa] Van Thiel told The Sun after the roundtable that this has posed a challenge to the implementation of universal preschool access in the state.
“ ‘The issue is the funding with the federal government having made cuts,’ said Van Thiel. ‘There were a lot of need to backfill pieces in programs that were already existing.’ ”
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“Our children and community thrive when we invest in full access to early education. I am proud to sponsor An Act relative to universal prekindergarten access to deliver the equitable start every Massachusetts child deserves,” Howard said in a message to The Sun after the roundtable. “While vital programs like Head Start and the Community Preschool Partnership Initiative lay a strong foundation, true community equity requires universal access.”
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“Gordon, who serves as the House chair of the Joint Committee on Education, pointed to the upcoming midterm elections, and the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and restoring federal education funding in spite of the efforts by the Trump administration to make cuts.
“ ‘I’m really hoping we have a Congress elected in a couple months that will release more funds for education … So we’re kind of hoping in the short run Congress won’t put up with it, and hopefully in a couple years we won’t have to deal with that anymore, and we can more fairly deal with education at the federal level,’ said Gordon.”
— “Amid funding challenges, officials and educators seek ways to implement universal preschool,” by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun, September 22, 2026