Report: Boston's child care capacity remains below pre-pandemic levels – WBUR
By Carrie Jung
While the height of the COVID-19 pandemic might be a few years behind us, Massachusetts' child care industry is still struggling to recover.
According to a new report out Wednesday, much of the industry's struggles can be linked to a lingering early educator shortage. Statewide, there were 5,000 fewer early-childhood educators in 2021 than in 2019. And as of spring 2022, 35% of center-based child care programs reported being unable to operate at full capacity…
The report also highlighted the increased costs of child care. Between 2018 and 2021, the average tuition for infant care in Boston increased by about $1,300 to $21,269. The tuition hike for toddler care was even steeper, increasing by about $5,600 to reach $19,402 in the same time period.
"Infant care in Massachusetts costs nearly 67 percent more than in-state college tuition and 31 percent more than average rent," the report states. "Even if all Boston families could find formal early education and care near their homes, clearly many of them would not be able to afford it."
The report offers several policy recommendations, many of which rely on increased state funding. The authors advocate continuing the state's Commonwealth Cares for Children, or C3, grants. That money was originally intended to be emergency funding to help providers weather the financial insecurity of the pandemic, but the funding stream has since been extended to cover this year and potentially next year as well.