A boost of $510 million is proposed for child care and education initiatives in Gov. Maura Healey’s first budget proposal, which included a near-even split of the $1 billion raised by the voter-approved “millionaires tax” for education and transportation. The bill earmarks $510 million for child care and education initiatives with $100 million targeted in the form of grants to child care providers.
Low pay for child care workers, and the resulting shortage of staff for child care centers are key issues, according to individuals who work in the field.
Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler predicted the $475 million worth of Commonwealth Cares for Children operational grants proposed in the budget will have significant impacts in the area of education and the early child care sector.
“Massachusetts has historically ranked in the bottom-half of state funding for early education and care. This proposal will take a big leap in the right direction and will also provide much needed stability in the early education space,” said Tutwiler in an interview. “I am thrilled, inspired, and hopeful that this (proposal) will be supported going forward.”
Early child education workers are hopeful with the budget proposal
Early child care workers and educators in local communities are hopeful for what changes the new proposal might bring.
According to Stacie Peugh, CEO and president of the YMCA Cape Cod, the YMCA received significant, essential dollars in Commonwealth Cares for Children, known as C3, funding last year. “This allowed us to retain staff with financial stipends during the nationwide teaching shortage,” Peugh said. “Because of this funding, we were able to continue to provide spaces for children to learn, develop, and heal from the pandemic.”
“We urge the Legislature to follow Gov. Healey’s lead and fully support C3 stabilization funding for the next year,” she said. “We believe the governor’s budget funds early education at a level it should be and begins to create the pathway forward for this field.”
The Early Childhood Center at Hevreh in southern Berkshire County provides year-round child care to the surrounding community. However, with the high demand and limited space, the center has encountered its own set of challenges that have left some families on waiting lists and classrooms short on staff.
“We need to start viewing child care as a public good,” said center director Ellen Marcus in an interview. “It’s really not a sustainable or healthful model to fund all of our operations via tuition. Even with tuition that is in the higher range of what is charged within the community, compensation for teachers is limited.”
Child care centers find it hard to attract and keep staff with low wages
Low wages for educators in the field have left many centers without adequate professional support. In turn, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the lack of qualified workers in areas of child care has cost Massachusetts families nearly $1.7 billion a year in lost wages.
Marcus said until more financial backing is provided to child care workers, centers across the state will continue to be unable to provide more families with the services they need.
“We have to make sure that (workers) can make a living following their passion,” said Marcus. “I think it’s really important for people to understand that they are educators, not simply caregivers. They are professionals that work with the child and the family, but it’s hard to acknowledge that within the financial model we currently have.”
In order to change this financial model and urge more federal investment, families and school staff have been advocating for an increase in funding to initiatives like Head Start, a federal program that offers comprehensive early child care for low-income families. This comes at a time when emergency relief funds provided by the pandemic are approaching their fiscal cliff.
Businesses lose money when their workers don’t have access to child care, according to one group
The effects of limited federal support have an impact not just on families and child care workers but also businesses where workers struggle to find adequate help. Employers are losing approximately $812 million a year in employee turnover and low productivity because working parents cannot tap into child care, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
“We applaud Gov. Healey for this new initiative,” Noelle Pina, the chief of staff of theCape Cod Chamber of Commerce, said. “Gov. Healey’s early education and care budget proposal is focused on expanding the early education workforce, and is an investment that will provide working parents and those who want to join the labor market with more predictable, accessible, high quality child care in our region.”
The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce has recently formed a task force whose goal is to shape statewide and local early childhood education and child care policies.
“Local economists report that providing access to early education and child care is one of the fastest ways we can alleviate the labor shortage felt by Cape Cod businesses,” said Pina.
Jonathan Butler, the president and CEO of 1Berkshire, said that child care providers are a huge part of the efficient operations of businesses across the state. Without them, he said employers and employees are unable to operate at their best for the good of the surrounding community.
“When combined with the workforce crisis in Massachusetts, it’s a significant factor,” said Butler in an interview. “The idea that we have a lack of services available for day care options and alternative child care options, certainly in Berkshire, creates a strain for employers and the families of employees.”
Child care is often the largest expense for Massachusetts families
Child care is often the largest expense for Massachusetts families – the commonwealth being the second most-expensive state in the nation to find adequate resources. Coupled with rising housing prices and high tuition rates, Butler has observed several families leaving their jobs and migrating to other regions to find more affordable child care options.
“It further accelerates the workforce challenge,” said Butler. “There are employers that are acting at about 60% to 80% productivity due to workforce challenges. Coming out of the pandemic, that’s the one thing that hasn’t bounced back – workforce statistics that match the demand.”
Amy Hall, president and CEO of Child Care of the Berkshires, said the impact is not only significant for the children receiving developmental services but also for the caretakers who depend on these services to be able to provide for their families throughout the day.
“We know that child care is vital for parents to keep their jobs,” said Hall in an interview. “This is true, especially in single-parent households that depend on reliable child care that is open all the time. If not, they can’t get jobs or keep jobs.”
The proposed state funding increase could combat the lack of appeal newly minted childhood educators experience over the outlook of staying in a field that lacks proper compensation.
“We are open to private pay, child care vouchers, and provide some tuition assistance,” said Marcus. “But, it’s very limited. So, having that additional funding is central, so we can maintain operations in the most robust way for the benefit of the children.”
Some educators are hoping, too, for the increase in funding to spark more conversations around how vital child care is for communities.
Cape Cod Times reporter Rasheek Tabassum Mujib contributed to this story.
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