Gentrification and Universal Pre-K: Examining Equity and Access in a South Boston Childcare Center

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: SIG-Early Education and Child Development Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

This study examines the impact of gentrification on a longstanding early childhood center in South Boston that participates in the Boston Preschool Program (formerly Universal Pre-K). Over the past two decades, South Boston—a historically working-class, immigrant community—has undergone rapid economic and racial transformation. Today, the center’s enrollment increasingly reflects more affluent and White families, while low-income and racially diverse families are being displaced from the neighborhood. Boston Preschool Program seats are limited and contested, raising urgent questions about equitable access and representation for marginalized communities. The study aims to inform locally rooted policies and practices that uphold inclusivity in universal preschool amid demographic upheaval.

Author

• Da Hei Ku, University of Massachusetts - Boston