Registration now open for early literacy professional development

Boston - The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that registration is open for a new teacher training opportunity, called Literacy Launch Institutes, that is focused on Pre-K through third grade literacy. As a core component of the administration’s Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3 initiative, the Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education and Early Education and Care are offering free four full days of training in August for 600 educators. Participants will learn about evidence-based early literacy instructional practices that meet the unique needs of all students and can be incorporated into teaching. 

Eligible educators can register for the institutes at Mass.gov/LiteracyLaunch. This announcement comes during Teacher Appreciation Week, during which the Healey-Driscoll Administration is lifting up the profound contributions educators make every day in Massachusetts classrooms. 

“It’s crucial for our teachers to be equipped with the materials and training they need to support all of their students,” said Governor Maura Healey. "This summer, these institutes will give hundreds of teachers and school leaders access to cutting-edge training in early literacy best practices at no cost.” 

“With Literacy Launch Institutes, we are advancing our commitment to equitable literacy education in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Any public-school early literacy educator is eligible to participate and get access to the best and most up-to-date early literacy knowledge and practices, regardless of where they teach or what role they play in their school.” 

This year’s Literacy Launch Institutes will be offered in Foxboro and at Devens, with plans to expand to other locations around the state in the future. Any Massachusetts public school educator who supports literacy instruction in grades Pre-K-3 will be eligible to register at no cost until capacity is reached. This includes classroom teachers, special education teachers, English as a second language teachers, school principals and district leaders. Higher education faculty and leaders who train pre-service teachers in early literacy are also eligible to participate. In addition, community-based preschool teachers will be eligible to enroll as part of a partnership with their local school district. Participants will earn Professional Development Points (PDPs), and certain participants are eligible to receive a stipend for successful completion of the institutes.

Massachusetts-based HILL for Literacy will run the institutes. School teams that participate this summer will be eligible to apply for additional support throughout the 2025-26 school year.

“When our teachers have the training and support to use evidence-based, culturally sustaining practices, students can achieve the crucial educational milestone of learning to read by third grade,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Like any other profession, teachers need and deserve opportunities to keep their skills up to date with the most recent advances, and we look forward to providing them a free, high-quality learning experience at this summer’s institutes.”

“The foundation for strong literacy skills and a lifelong love of reading starts in early education," said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. "These new training opportunities will provide our educators — across settings, and age groups — with the critical tools, training, and resources they need to support success in the classroom and beyond.”   

Governor Healey created Literacy Launch to ensure Massachusetts schools, educators and students have access to high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction through literacy materials, technical support, coaching and professional development for educators.?In January, the administration awarded $326,477 in grants to 15 school districts across the state through Literacy Launch to help implement high-quality instructional materials for students in Pre-K through third grade in English language arts and literacy.?In April, the administration also invited school districts to apply for $5.5 million in additional early literacy grant funding.