About Horizons for Homeless Children

Our Mission and Impact

Horizons for Homeless Children (https://horizonschildren.org/) is Massachusetts’ leading organization devoted exclusively to improving the lives of young children and their families experiencing homelessness. We work with young children and families to mitigate the trauma and stress associated with homelessness by offering high-quality early education, opportunities for play, and comprehensive family support services.

Our two-generation model is well-respected within Massachusetts and nationwide. Children who attend our early education center move on to excel in public and private school settings. Based on the supports we offer to their parents, their long-term prospects for academic and professional success are even greater. Our programs use evidence-based practices for proven impact, and we partner with organizations including Lesley University, Brazelton Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital, NAEYC, and JumpStart to adopt and contribute to best practices for supporting children and families facing homelessness.

Over more than 30 years, we have served more than 5,000 children in our early education centers and provided access to play to over 20,000 children across the state through our Playspace Program. In 2021 alone, we served 2,251 children and opened the Edgerly Family Horizons Center (the https://horizonschildren.org/new-building/), a state-of-the-art building that brings together all of our programs, under one roof, in the heart of Roxbury. With our current strategic plan, we are taking steps to build on the strengths of our core programs, enhance the work we do to support parent-child relationships, expand our partnerships, and build our capacity for data-driven decision-making and continuous learning.

Our Team, Values, and Culture

Our team of over 100 people is a dedicated, diverse, and playful group, and each team member, no matter their role, makes a difference in the lives of young children and families experiencing homelessness. We have been successful because of our team and our shared commitment to our values: collaboration, inclusion, innovation, and passion.

We recognize the value of looking within to ensure our policies, practices, and culture are aligned with Horizons’ vision. Creating a more equitable world has always been at the center of Horizons’ mission, but in the last several years we’ve recommitted to the role Horizons plays in rectifying some of the problems we see and wish to address. Visit our DEI page (https://horizonschildren.org/about-horizons/careers/dei/) to learn more about what that looks like at Horizons.