Parents: Preschool, Child Care Need More State Support - CAI 90.1
By Jennette Barnes
Parents know high-quality child care and preschool slots can be hard to find on the Cape and Islands. Now parents and providers, with some support from the business community, are asking the state to dedicate more public funding to early education and care.
They hope to make care more affordable for families and raise the pay of staff, who sometimes earn so little that they qualify for subsidized child care for their own children.
Supporters spoke Wednesday at a virtual meeting hosted by the Cape and Islands chapter of the Common Start Coalition.
Chandler Alves, a preschool teacher, said educators like her serve as science, English, math, and history teachers rolled into one — yet are underappreciated and underpaid.
“When I started as a teacher assistant, I was paid $10 an hour in Falmouth, Massachusetts, to be in charge of children’s lives,” she said.