about Senator Robyn Kennedy
First Worcester
Senator Robyn Kennedy, born and raised in Worcester, MA, serves as the State Senator of the First Worcester District with a specific focus on the care economy, from childcare to elder care, investing in our workforce, improving regional public transportation, and reducing the gap on racial and health inequities. She most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at the YWCA Central MA. She has also previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to former Lt. Governor Tim Murray and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth and Families at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
​
After graduating from Holy Name High School, she went on to get her Bachelor’s degree from Assumption University and Masters in Public Administration from Clark University.
In 2005, after working on the re-election campaign for Congressman Jim McGovern and the campaign for Ed Augustus for State Senate, she joined Senator Augustus in his office as a Legislative Aide. In 2007, she joined Governor Deval Patrick and Lt. Governor Tim Murray as a Deputy Director of Appointments. From there she went on to the Lt. Governor’s Office as a Director of Policy and Interagency Initiatives, then a Deputy Chief of Staff, and a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth and Families.
From the Floor
Excerpt from the Inaugural Speech for Formal Session
As my colleagues know, for years now, we have seen a growing crisis in this field. With a rise in the percentage of households in which all parents work, investments in our early childhood education system have never been more important to the growth of our society and the pursuit of a higher quality of life for our families. Although there has been an increase in workplace supports such as paid leave and the introduction of flexible scheduling – a critical factor in helping families break the cycle of poverty – employers know, one of the biggest struggles that remains is access to affordable childcare. 
...
We were already facing a crisis.
...
If we do not continue to invest in our early education programs, we know there will be an impact in our economy, our labor force, our families and ultimately, a lasting negative impact on our children.
According to Strategies for Children, children who participate in high-quality early education develop better language skills, score higher in school-readiness tests and have fewer behavioral problems in school. We know the human brain develops rapidly from birth to age five. This is a time of enormous social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development when children can build either a strong or fragile foundation for future growth and learning.  Education can be our greatest equalizer, especially when it begins at birth. Children who attend high-quality early education score higher on average on school achievement tests between ages 9 and 14, are 40 percent less likely to need special education or be held back a grade, outperform their peers on literacy tests at ages 19 to 27 and at the age of 40, they are more likely to be employed and have a 36 percent higher median annual earnings. We must continue to foster this growth.