Care about Massachusetts workers and their kids? Provide child care. – Boston Globe
By Kara Miller
In Boston, there have long been debates about who gets into Boston Latin. Is the school diverse enough? Does it privilege the wealthy?
And every time I read an article about Boston Latin’s admissions policy, I think: isn’t it a little late to be having this discussion?
Research shows that kids from well-resourced households are ahead of their low-income peers by kindergarten. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, an expert on early childhood development at Temple University, has said that “dramatic” gaps can be visible by age three. So, yeah, leveling the playing field for 12-year-olds is going to be tough.
Which makes you wonder why we pay so much attention to the minutiae of school testing requirements, and so little attention to the fact that, if you’re a family having a baby in Massachusetts, our message is: “Congratulations! See you in five years!”
Leaders on Beacon Hill want 2023 to be a turning point. Legislation to aid both parents and child care providers might get signed into law, and Governor Healey’s proposed budget includes strong support for child care centers, which teetered on the brink (and frequently closed) during the pandemic…
Governor Healey has said that she wants Massachusetts to be “the first state to solve the child care crisis.” First, of course, we’ll have some major catching-up to do. And then, if we really want to be visionary, we’ll need to do what no other state does: provide high-quality care for infants and toddlers - not just three and four-year-olds.
Though it would be quite expensive to provide free or heavily-subsidized child care, evidence suggests that it’s even more expensive to leave families on their own. Essentially, the choice is: pay now or pay later.