Advocates call for more child care options – Lawrence Eagle Tribune
By Christian Wade
Parents are struggling to find reliable and affordable child care as many providers face challenges staying afloat amid the ongoing economic fallout of the pandemic and worker shortages.
That’s according to a coalition of early education advocates who say Massachusetts isn’t doing enough to support the child care sector as more people return to work.
“Child care is one of the most pressing needs for families, especially for those who have the very lowest incomes,” Chelsea Sedani, director of advocacy at the Boston-based nonprofit advocacy group EMPath and a member of the Common Start Coalition, told members of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
“Families we work with spend too much of their income on child care, which means they struggle to pay for other necessities and are at risk of losing their jobs or forfeiting education opportunities,” Sedani said.