Early childhood education is vital to rebuild our economy - Boston Business Journal
By Maicharia Weir Lytle, Kate Barrand, Justin Pasquariello, and Laura Perille
These days, it’s challenging to find an issue that isn’t partisan, but no matter what your political party may be, all of us are impacted by the early childhood education sector, either directly or indirectly. With more than 655,000 children ages zero to 8 in Massachusetts — nearly 10% of the state’s population — there’s no doubt that child care is essential to our economic infrastructure, enabling parents to work and support their families.
It is, therefore, difficult to comprehend leaving early education providers out of critical discussions during a pandemic that has shut down our economy. Yet, this has been the case: Early childhood education has not had a seat at the decision-making tables to inform policies or practices that impact our sector and the communities we serve.
At the outset of the pandemic, there was a collective realization that child care is central to our economy. Suddenly, this historically under-appreciated workforce of early educators — predominantly women and significantly women of color paid disproportionately less than K-12 educators — were lauded as priority workers. Providers rose to the challenge, at risk to themselves and their families, in service of a public good. Early education, while critical for the economy, is also an integral part of the education system. Young learners are taught social and cognitive skills, the very foundation for early learners’ success and emotional well-being as they enter their K-12 years.