Child Care Is Back, But Many Providers Are Struggling Financially - WBUR
By Kathleen McNerney
As the pandemic wears on, concerns about the stability of the child care system are rising as many Massachusetts child care providers report losing money -- with some closing their doors entirely.
Eighty-two percent of the state's licensed providers reopened as of Nov. 23, according to the latest survey from the Department of Early Education and Care. But, many providers told the state that reopening has come with a slew of financial challenges. Many reported struggles to find qualified staffers, or families to fill available slots. Some were forced to contend with the costs of temporary closures because of suspected or confirmed exposure to the coronavirus.
"We still are ahead of many, many states in our reopening capacity," Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy said during a board meeting this week. "While that is really great, what we're hearing back is many of those [providers] are at a level of vulnerability that could easily put us behind the country quickly as well."
While only 5% of the state's 8,200 licensed providers closed permanently, the commissioner noted an accelerated pace of closures over the last month. Twenty-two more providers shut their doors for good, while another 180 told the state they no longer planned to reopen by the end of the year.