EarlyEducatorSpace 2.0

EarlyEducatorSpace 2.0 from the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) is a unique opportunity to bring together family childcare providers, families, neighbors, and affordable housing property managers in a way that expands access to childcare, creates opportunities for economic mobility for public housing residents, and enhances affordable housing spaces. The project team explored design solutions for the collection of outdoor courtyards at the BHA’s West Broadway development that promote climate resilience, are sustainable, and support intergenerational use.

The BHA owns and operates around 50 public housing communities across the City of Boston that are home to over 16,000 residents. Almost 1,000 BHA residents are ages 0 to 5 and more than 2,000 BHA residents are ages 6 to 13. BHA maintains different partnerships focused on early education and youth development but one incredible resource already operates within existing BHA communities: around 30 family childcare providers who are both public housing residents and early educators. These providers are an essential part of the communities of care that are necessary for positive child and youth development.

While these providers and other caregivers have demonstrated significant creativity in maximizing the utilization of their indoor spaces to foster child development, the BHA is interested in ensuring open spaces in BHA public housing communities meet the needs of young children and their caregivers. These caregivers include family childcare providers and the older adults and other community members that spend time with children.

In collaboration with the City of Boston, Northeastern University, the Sasaki Foundation, and Sasaki, the BHA has undertaken a community engagement and design process at a public housing development in South Boston where there are multiple family childcare providers and more than 200 children under age 13. The West Broadway development includes a collection of low rise buildings and a network of outdoor courtyards that have minimal programming and different design elements from slides to concrete benches. Through the initial community design process, the BHA collected ideas for different elements and activities that residents would like to see in one courtyard at the site.