Rachel Wilensky is a senior policy analyst with CLASP’s child care and early education team. She brings expertise in local and federal policymaking, grant writing, as well as program design and implementation.

Prior to joining CLASP, Rachel worked for the City of Somerville, Massachusetts where she developed the city’s prenatal to school-entry systems and supports. In this role, Rachel worked to design and implement a local child care subsidy program. She also supported grants to expand the mixed-delivery preschool system and increase coordinated family and community engagement.

Prior to her role in Somerville, Rachel worked on health and education policy in the United States Senate. She supported the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and policies that assisted families experiencing diaper need, offered expanded mental health resources for children in schools, and initiated efforts to prevent adverse childhood experiences and trauma.

Rachel received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the George Washington University and her master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.