Who We Are
Cherish Every Child is a city-wide initiative focused on improving the lives of children from from birth through age five, and their families, in Springfield, Massachusetts, by helping to ensure that they enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
The initiative works to bring all members of the community together, including parents, elected and appointed officials, business leaders, the faith community, and organizations serving children and families, to adopt this shared vision for Springfield's youngest children: a healthy and safe childhood that prepares them to enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life.
Our Principles
From the start, everyone involved in developing a plan for Springfield’s youngest children agreed on a number of over-arching principles that are reflected in the name chosen for the initiative, Cherish Every Child. These principles include:
- Caring – The plan should demonstrate a spirit of caring that goes beyond the provision of bare essentials
- Cultural Competence – Programs must be designed and implemented in ways that acknowledge, accommodate, and celebrate Springfield’s diversity
- Universality – The plan should encompass all young children in Springfield, with eligibility not restricted by income or risk factors
- Respect for Parental/Family Role – The plan should recognize the critical role parents and family caregivers play in planning for their children
- Quality – Programs and services recommended should be in accord with the best practices known to promote healthy child development
- Accessibility – Obstacles that prevent families from using services should be identified and removed. Whenever feasible, services and programs should be low-cost or free
- Research Basis – Recommendations for programs and services should be solidly based on what is known about child development and intervention measures that are proven to work
