Letter: High cost of child care major barrier to women in the workforce – Salem News
By Patricia Fae Ho
In Essex County, women head of households are among the fastest growing demographic, and among the families living near the edge of poverty. Desperately seeking jobs, they encounter many obstacles hindering efforts to support their families.
Lack of affordable, dependable child care has been one of these insurmountable barriers for women and families trying to achieve financial self-sufficiency. Without accessible child care, women find it difficult to attend college or job training courses, or to keep a regular schedule required by employers…
We support H.489 and S.301 — the Common Start Coalition’s legislative priority to help all low-income and middle-class families with child care costs so they can pursue avenues toward economic security.