The first 10 years of a child’s life are a critical developmental period that impacts all that follows. Opportunity and achievement gaps begin early for millions of children who live in families with low or below poverty-level incomes. Across the country EDC’s First 10 initiative is supporting community partnerships in building on families’ strengths, improving outcomes for thousands of children.
A Theory of Action to Drive Change
The First 10 Theory of Action outlines the goals and objectives that First 10 Schools and Communities should support, the kinds of schools and community institutions they are trying to build, and the roles these partnerships play in supporting these goals… Learn More
Featured Posts
Organizing Communities Around Children and Families: Two New Publications
For many families, kindergarten is when the gaps among the systems supporting a young child become impossible to ignore. By then, children may already have...
September 21, 2026
First 10 Named a Bright Spot in New CELS Research Brief on Kindergarten Transitions
We are thrilled to share that First 10 was named a “Bright Spot” in the CELS Center’s new research brief, Transitions to Kindergarten and Beyond. The brief...
August 6, 2026
Featured Resource
This Capita article describes school-early childhood zones and hubs and how they function as close-to-the-ground, family-focused partnerships that enable three forms of action that rarely occur together otherwise:
- Aligning systems and practices across early childhood, elementary education, and family-serving agencies
- Jointly planning and implementing strategies that directly support children and families
- Supporting early years educators in cross-sector communities of practice.
Zones and hubs are not new programs. They are new infrastructure, the connective tissue that allows existing programs to function as a system rather than a collection of parts.
