To the editor:
Closing the Metro North Children’s Learning Center, the early learning and after-school program I ran for 20 years, was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
Telling children and families that, because of the devastating financial impact COVID-19 had on our center, we could no longer afford to service their needs was heartbreaking. This closure of our center, which served approximately 110 children daily, left not only children unserved, but teachers without positions.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many early-learning centers and family child care providers found themselves in a devastating financial crisis and had to permanently close.
This crisis has highlighted just how critical early education and child care is for Massachusetts families, for children, for businesses, and for the entire Massachusetts economy.
Investing in early education and child care is the best way to help support families and early educators as we recover from the pandemic, combat racial and gender inequities, reduce income inequality and jumpstart our economy.
Even before the pandemic, access to quality early education and child care was unaffordable for too many Massachusetts families. Many times, families would come and ask if there was any financial help, if they could pay later or even worse, lost their job but didn’t want to take their child out of the center because he or she was learning so much.
Our teachers were highly qualified, many with master’s degrees or working toward one. Several had been with the Center for better than 10 years. Watching them cry while reminiscing about what was as they packed up their classrooms was simply awful. It was hard to watch as things got sold or thrown out.
To better serve families and children, to provide all families with the care solutions they need, and to ensure that all children in our Commonwealth have the same strong start, the Common Start Coalition was formed.
This Coalition is made up of dozens of organizations as well as volunteers in various regions throughout the Commonwealth.
That’s why I’m so enthusiastic that the Common Start legislation is before the Massachusetts Legislature. Common Start would establish a universal system of affordable, high-quality early education and child care for all Massachusetts families.
The Common Start legislation would ensure that all families can afford high-quality early education and care for children from birth through age 5, as well as after- and out-of-school time for children ages 5 to 12, and for children with special needs through age 15.
The bill provides a framework to increase the scope of public investment in early education and child care with an incremental roll out over five years that prioritizes the lowest-income, highest-need families.
The Common Start legislation would dramatically increase the affordability and quality of early education and child care for all Massachusetts families, while compensating providers for the true cost of providing quality care and ensuring higher pay for early childhood educators.
This legislation needs support from all residents. The Northeast Massachusetts chapter of the Common Start Coalition meets monthly to build support for this essential legislation. Learn more about the bill and get involved at commonstartma.org.
Now is the time to act and ensure that families have the care solutions they need and that all children in our Commonwealth have the same strong start.
Rosalind Mann
Lynn
