Common Start Coalition Applauds Legislative Movement on Early Education and Child Care Bill

BOSTON – The Common Start Coalition, a diverse group of over 150 organizations leading the campaign on Beacon Hill to address the multi-faceted childcare crisis, responded today to the announcement that the Senate plans to take up early education and child care legislation, which is backed by the coalition, next week.

“We are glad to see the Senate moving towards passage of legislation that would represent a substantial step toward implementing our full vision of a high-quality early education and child care system that is affordable and accessible for all families. While we are reviewing the details of the latest bill, we know it will start to tackle the ongoing multifaceted child care crisis, aiding educators who are working for inadequate pay, families who are struggling to afford child care, and providers who are working hard to keep their doors open and their programs fully staffed,” said Deb Fastino, Statewide Director of the Common Start Coalition and Executive Director of the Coalition for Social Justice. “We are grateful for the leadership of Education Committee Chairman Jason Lewis, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Michael Rodrigues and Senate President Karen Spilka. We also greatly appreciate the dedicated work of Education Committee Chairwoman Alice Peisch, who has been a key leader on early education and child care in the House. We look forward to working with both chambers of the Legislature to get comprehensive child care legislation across the finish line and deliver the help that parents, educators, providers, and children desperately need.”

“This bill is a crucial step forward in making early education a priority in Massachusetts,” said Mark Reilly, the Vice President of Policy & Government Relations at Jumpstart, which trains college students to become early educators and advocates for policy change. “Massachusetts is 40th in the nation in state investment in early education and we are pleased to see that the Legislature is poised to drive the state up those rankings. Increasing pay for early educators and offering scholarships and loan assistance to those seeking to enter the field will also address the longstanding inequity and current workforce crisis that is plaguing the field.”

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The Common Start Coalition is a statewide partnership of organizations, providers, parents, early educators and advocates working together to make high-quality early education and child care affordable and accessible to all Massachusetts families. Our goal is to ensure that all families have the care solutions they need and that all children in our Commonwealth have the same, strong start and enter school on a level playing field. We are a diverse coalition including community, faith-based, labor, business, and early education and child care organizations, as well as early educators, parents, individuals, and direct service organizations. 

The coalition, established in 2018, includes more than 150 organizations across Massachusetts, and is coordinated by a steering committee made up of the Coalition for Social Justice, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), the MA Association of Early Education and Care (MADCA), the Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the MA Commission on the Status of Women, Neighborhood Villages, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, SEIU Local 509, and Strategies for Children. The Coalition has six regional chapters across the state and a Spanish-language statewide chapter – each of which include local parents, early educators, providers, and other advocates. More information about the coalition is available at commonstartma.org.