State House hearing on early education and care

Last week, the Joint Committee on Education held a hearing at the State House on early education and care — and the Strategies for Children team was there.

The committee heard testimony on a range of bills. (A video of the hearing is posted here.)

“These bills describe a vision for early education and care in Massachusetts where educators are well-compensated, providers have the resources necessary to run financially sustainable businesses, more families have access to affordable child care that meets their needs, and, most importantly, young children are able to experience the benefits of attending high-quality programs,” Marisa Fear, Strategies’ director of policy, testified.

“We know that fulfilling this full vision will require a sustained effort and careful consideration. We look forward to working with the Legislature and the Healey-Driscoll Administration to pass comprehensive legislation this session and set a clear path for children and families in the Commonwealth.”

https://twitter.com/EarlyEd4All/status/1714308366950871055

Among the bills discussed were two (H.489/S.301) that would establish a system of affordable, accessible, and high-quality early education and child care for families in Massachusetts, and help advance the vision of Common Start.

In its first phase, this legislation “would offer financial assistance aimed at families earning at or below 85 percent of the state’s median income ($115,546 for a family of four, or $78,571 for a family of two) — which a recent UMass Boston report said would cover nearly half of all Massachusetts families with children under 14, or under 17 with special needs,” a State House News Service story published by Rumba 97.7 says.

The State House News story also shares the story of Shamilia Lloyd, who “left the job she was passionate about, teaching young children, to instead work at a liquor store when she decided it cost more to go to work than it did to stay home. Lloyd, like other parents who work in early child care and education, have to balance low pay with the high costs of sending their own children to preschool if they cannot be home with them.”

WBUR covers the hearing here, noting that parents in Massachusetts pay more for center-based child care than parents in any other state. Teia Searcy, a working parent of two children who earns too much to qualify for state child care subsidies, said that she has used credit cards, relied on family and friends, and borrowed from her 401K to make ends meet, including paying her child care bills.

Lauren Cook, the CEO of Ellis Early Learning, also testified at the hearing, explaining the challenges that providers face. In a Common Start press release, Cook says:

“Despite our positive reputation and successes, Ellis is suffering and barely able to operate. And this is true for the majority of early education providers in the Commonwealth, if not all [of them].”

“We simply don’t have enough qualified teachers to operate in the way we need to. Children and families, and our workforce, suffer as a result. The critical investments the legislature has made in recent years have been historic and greatly appreciated. But I am here to ask you to think bigger and be even bolder, and make Common Start a reality.”

Mary Jo Meisner, Tomás Gonzalez, and Noëlle Pina: “Our labor force needs the stability that enactment of the Common Start legislation will provide, such as employees knowing they will find safe, reliable child care when they need it,” said Pina. #mapoli #CommonStart pic.twitter.com/Hf2i6r9bBR

— Common Start Coalition (@CommonStartMA) October 17, 2023

Ellis operates “three child care centers in Boston, employs over 100 professionals, serves over 300 children per year, and has a waitlist of over 1000 families.”

Aidn White, an infant care educator in Northampton who is also featured in the press release says:

“I have been dreaming about my future children for the last six years of my life. But the one thing that has always been a major source of anxiety was ‘and then what?’ My salary simply would not cover childcare for my own infant while I went back to work taking care of other people’s.”

And Noelle Pina, chief of staff at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 1,000 employers and 15,000 employees, says:

 “Right now, childcare is difficult to access, expensive, and is causing parents to make changes to their work schedules and even consider leaving Cape Cod or the Islands.”

To learn more, please watch the hearing. It’s a great way to catch up on early education and care policymaking at the state level.