Child care is lynchpin for economic recovery on the Cape – Cape Cod Times
By Denise Coffey
Without child care, parents are having a hard time returning to work full time. Because child care costs are so expensive, some parents simply can’t afford it and it makes more sense for some to stay home and care for their own children. And without child care and early education programs, youngsters can fall behind peers even before they start kindergarten and first grade.
Businesses have felt the pinch and many are joining efforts to improve families' access to quality care.
“The child care issue is definitely a priority for our members,” said Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Chief of Staff Noëlle Pina…
"I think on this issue, the current model of how we provide child care to our toddlers and infants and preschoolers in Massachusetts is broken,” Pina said. “Businesses have recognized there must be some investment made.”…
The Chamber is also a member of the Common Start Coalition, a statewide partnership of businesses, educators and advocates calling for affordable, accessible child care.
Common Start legislation (H.605 and S.362), currently under review by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Education, would establish a system of early education and care from birth through age 5, out-of-school time for 5- to 12-year-olds, and provide care for special needs children through age 15.
No family would pay more than 7% of their income on child care, an amount designated as affordable by the federal government. State taxes and grants would pay for the programs, in addition to possible local community and business investments, and would be rolled out over five years.
“Child care is essential to keep businesses running,” said Sandra Faiman-Silva, coordinator for the Cape and Islands Common Start campaign.
The bills have garnered the support of some Cape chambers of commerce, the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club of America, the League of Women Voters, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, to name a few.
The bill would provide funding for facility costs, material supplies, professional development and increasing staff salaries. Families earning up to 50% of the average median income in area where they reside would get subsidies to pay for the care. A sliding fee scale would be applied to those families making more than that amount. It would help get workers back into the workforce, according to supporters. It would help families and businesses. And it would help more women return to the labor force.