October 23, 2026
Pulse Co-Executive Directors Maria Ortiz Borden and Kathy Szenda Wilson recently participated in the First Home, First Teacher: National Housing Convening in New Haven, Connecticut, joining nearly 100 participants from across the country to explore rent-free housing solutions for early childhood educators.
The convening was hosted by Friends Center for Children, which launched the First Home, First Teacher model in New Haven. Pulse brought the model to Battle Creek in 2026, where the first two resident teachers moved into a duplex owned and managed by Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek. The gathering connected leaders from communities where similar initiatives are underway, including Battle Creek, Michigan; LaGrange, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; and Hartford, Connecticut.
During the session From One Home to a Movement: How Others Are Replicating Rent-Free Teacher Housing, Pulse shared the rationale behind the Battle Creek initiative, how the program was developed, and plans for its future. The discussion provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from communities working to address housing affordability and strengthen the early childhood workforce.
While in Connecticut, Ortiz Borden and Szenda Wilson also met with leaders and advocates who helped advance the state's Early Childhood Endowment and establish its Office of Early Childhood. Those conversations included Danielle Cloud of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), former state legislator Beth Bye, and advocates representing Child Care for Connecticut and the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance.
Insights from the convening and these discussions will help inform Pulse's advocacy efforts in Michigan as it continues working to advance policies and solutions that support early childhood educators and the child care workforce.