Senate seeks greater public funding of childcare – Commonwealth

By Shira Schoenberg

Massachusetts Senate leaders on Thursday unveiled a proposal to inject significant sums of public money into the state’s childcare system, which has traditionally been mostly privately funded.

The Senate plan would provide additional subsidies to families, including for the first time middle-class families, in order to make childcare more affordable. It would also pay more to childcare providers as a way to increase the salaries of early educators – a step toward stabilizing the industry’s struggling workforce.

“This legislation, if and when it’s fully implemented, will be transformative to our society here in Massachusetts,” said Senate President Karen Spilka. “In fact, I would say this is the most comprehensive early education and care bill that the Legislature has taken up this century.”

Lawmakers have not yet determined exactly how much the proposal will cost. A report by a legislative commission examining the early education and care system suggested that systemic changes will cost around $1.5 billion annually, and this plan adopts many, though not all, of its recommendations…

The Common Start Coalition, a group of early educators, provider organizations, parents, and advocates who have been pushing for greater public investment in early education, praised the plan. “We are glad to see the Senate moving towards passage of legislation that would represent a substantial step toward implementing our full vision of a high-quality early education and child care system that is affordable and accessible for all families,” said Deb Fastino, statewide director of the Common Start Coalition. “While we are reviewing the details of the latest bill, we know it will start to tackle the ongoing multifaceted child care crisis, aiding educators who are working for inadequate pay, families who are struggling to afford child care, and providers who are working hard to keep their doors open and their programs fully staffed.”

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