Mass. commission says worker training, child care are key to equitable economic recovery - State House News Service
By Matt Murphy
From a lack of affordable housing to the cost of child care, a legislative commission tasked with looking at ways the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the economy identified key obstacles with long roots that it says must be addressed in Massachusetts to help people grow into the jobs of the future…
Workers, the commission said, will need more flexible supports to succeed, including affordable child- and elder-care options…
In addition to higher salaries for child care workers, legislators and other commission members recommend prioritizing state funding to subsidize early education for working families so that they can fully participate in the workforce and have the time to learn new skills for future employment opportunities…
The report comes on the heels of another study done by the Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission that identified up to $1.5 billion in investments needed to increase salaries for early educators and make the child care system more affordable and accessible to families.
Senate President Karen Spilka said last week during a joint interview with House Speaker Ron Mariano that she would like to begin to address the state's child care needs this session, and Mariano suggested the House may start with some of the less costly improvements in its version of the annual state budget due out next month.