Coalition Backs New Early Education Access Bill - NBC10
Massachusetts would gradually establish a universal system of early education and child care from birth through age 5, under a new and pricey bill backed by a statewide coalition of more than 120 groups.
The Common Start Coalition said the pandemic has underscored how critical early education and child care is for families and the economy, and access remains out of reach for many. The coalition is coordinated by a committee consisting of the Coalition for Social Justice, Greater Boston Legal Services, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Mass. Association of Early Education and Care, Mass. Business Roundtable, the Commission on the Status of Women, Neighborhood Villages, Parenting Journey, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, SEIU Local 509 and Strategies for Children. The bill's sponsors are Reps. Ken Gordon and Adrian Madaro and Sens. Susan Moran and Jason Lewis, co-chairman of the Education Committee.
The bill proposes a five-year rollout that supporters say would prioritize lowest-income, highest-need families. It would create a new direct-to-provider funding allocation, based on capacity rather than attendance. Once fully implemented, families earning less than half the statewide median income would be able to access early education and child care options for free, and families above that threshold would pay up to 7 percent of their total household income.
The proposed program would also cover after- and out-of-school time for kids aged 5-12, and through age 15 for those with special needs.