Pushing for radically different child care system – Commonwealth Magazine
By Chelsea Sedani
Natalie is a multiracial single mother raising a young son with autism in the greater Boston area. In my job at Economic Mobility Pathways, I work with women like her to help them advocate for themselves and other families struggling to make ends meet. Recently, as Natalie told me a story about having to choose between paying for child care or being evicted, I imagined what her life could look like if she had her son five years from now.
In that version of the future – if a bill currently before the Massachusetts Legislature passes this year – the child care landscape for the families EMPath works with would look radically different. Following a phase-in period of five years, the law would establish a system of affordable, high-quality early education and care for children up to age 12. For the women we coach on their journey to economic independence, this would be nothing short of life changing—especially since Massachusetts ranks second in the US for most expensive child care costs.
Consider that if Natalie had a child in 2026, she would pay no more than 7 percent of her income for high quality child care. Finding and securing a spot for her son would be straightforward. When she dropped him off each morning, she could rest easy, knowing he was getting the support he needed to thrive.
Instead, the reality for Natalie is much different. Though she applied for child care assistance when her son was an infant, she heard nothing until he was three. In between, she relied on an unreliable patchwork of friends and family. Still shaken, she recalls the time when no one came to collect her son from the bus, so instead he just rode along as the driver completed his route. By the time she got to him, he was soaked in urine and sweat.