Common Start Legislation Deserves Support - Letter - Sandwich Enterprise
By The Rev. Margot Critchfield
This year the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how critical early education and child care are for Massachusetts families, for children, for businesses, and for our entire Massachusetts economy.
Even before the pandemic, quality early education was unaffordable for too many Massachusetts families, who find that childcare is often more expensive than rent or mortgage payments. Layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic have left many families nearly penniless, and mothers have had to leave the workforce to care for children. Parents—especially parents of infants and young children—and essential workers were particularly affected, as home-based and center-based childcare facilities were forced to close their doors and older children could not attend school.
The Massachusetts Common Start Bill (H.605 / S.362) submitted to the Legislature in February would ensure that all families can afford high-quality early education and care for children from birth through age 5, after- and out-of-school care, and care for children with special needs through age 15. This landmark legislation also would insure that early educators, historically severely underpaid, receive wages at parity with K-12 educators and have access to funds for professional development and licensure.