Dozens of child care centers tell Gov. Baker more public funding needed – Boston 25 News
By Kerry Kavanaugh
A coalition of early education advocates and child care centers say they are facing a funding crisis. A grant program, Massachusetts began offering to these centers during the pandemic, winds down in June. The grants, known as C3, Commonwealth Cares for Children were set to expire at the end of 2021, but the Baker administration gave them a six-month extension.
Advocates say without additional public funding, the childcare crisis in Massachusetts will only get worse.
“The workforce crisis in early education and care is founded upon a wage crisis, we simply cannot compete when it comes to wages,” says Lauren Kennedy, co-president of Neighborhood Villages, a non-profit that advocates for improved early education strategies across Massachusetts…
The same coalition is also backing what’s known as ‘Common Start’ legislation, a bill that would in part cap costs for families at 7% of household income and gradually creates a universal pre-k system in Massachusetts. That too would cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually, but no specific dollar amount has been set.