Focused on listening, learning, and innovating in early education and care, the Healey-Driscoll Administration's Early Education and Child Care Task Force is giving a voice to parents, educators, and care providers in Massachusetts. As part of its efforts, the interagency task force has hosted 14 in-person and virtual learning sessions across the state since the end of March.
On July 30, a full auditorium at Worcester State University participated in a listening session with interagency task force members. Read on to learn more about this session and how the task force is enhancing early education and care for families in Worcester and its surrounding communities
Addressing a 'Very Real Crisis in Early Education and Care'
During the July 30 listening session, Eve Gilmore, CEO of Edward Street, and other speakers shared their thoughts on the interagency task force's early education and care objectives, which include:
- Reducing costs
- Increasing capacity
- Improving quality
In her testimony, Eve described how demand currently outpaces availability of slots in licensed early education and care in Worcester. She also noted that many families "cannot pursue active employment or employment and educational credentialing programs without accessible, consistent, full time, quality early education and care for their children."
Casey Starr, the Director of Family & Community Engagement at Worcester Public Schools, shared her personal stories.
Casey said that when her 4-year-old son was in a care center, he had significant behavioral issues. At that point, the center said it could not take him anymore and sent him home.
At home, Casey said she could see her son was in need of greater support. As such, she took him to a neurologist for testing. This process took a year, which is far too long for any child.
For Casey, having her son at the center was helpful. This allowed her to go to work. It also made her a better parent, since she could see what educators were doing in the centers that worked well for her child and see other parents interacting with their children.
Casey also shared insights into the financial burden of childcare costs that she and her family face when her child's daycare provider is suddenly unavailable.
Recently, Casey's family daycare provider contracted COVID. This forced Casey to spend $1,000 on childcare between the week of camp for her daughter and having to pay hourly for a babysitter for her youngest child on top of her regular childcare fee. "Every single extra dollar we have ever had has gone to childcare, until I got this job," Casey said.
As Casey's stories show, there is a "very real crisis in early education and care that permeates our communities across the state," Eve said. Fortunately, interagency task force members recognize what's at stake in early education and care. Now, they are working with parents, educators, and care providers to help give children in Massachusetts a strong start in life.
Embracing a 'Whole-of-Government' Approach
Recognizing "the essential role childcare plays in driving the state’s economy and competitiveness forward," Governor Healey signed Executive Order 625 in January to establish the Early Education and Child Care Task Force. The task force is also a "key component" of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's "Gateway to Pre-K" agenda.
The interagency task force is chaired by the Secretaries of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Economic Development and consists of all other secretariats or their designees. Its members include:
- Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler
- Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao
- Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones
- Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw
- Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz
Meanwhile, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has directed the Early Education and Child Care Task Force to take a "whole-of-government" approach, ensuring leaders from various government agencies can work together to address early education and care issues.
"The task force brings together all of state government to figure out how we can make childcare and early education more formidable, more accessible, and more available across the state," Amy O'Leary, Executive Director of Strategies for Children (SFC), said during The 9:30 Call on July 9. "We're bringing everyone together to think about the resources that are out there."
'Enlightened and Hopeful' About the Future
Secretary Tutwiler attended every interagency task force listening session. At the end of the Worcester session, he said he felt “enlightened and hopeful about the changes to be made."
Task force members continue to engage with industry and business leaders, families, care providers, and others to develop recommendations in alignment with the following objectives:
- Evaluating early education and care best practices of other states and making recommendations for how these practices can be adopted in Massachusetts
- Assessing how coordination among state agencies can support families and ensure they're able to access care that meets their needs
- Identifying resources for building capacity and increasing affordability in the state’s mixed-delivery early education and care system
- Finding strategies to recruit, train, upskill, and retain members of the early education and care workforce
- Reviewing assets to identify potential locations to deliver center-based early education and care
The task force expects to provide recommendations for next steps in September and an official report to Governor Healey at the end of the year.
Make Your Voice Heard
Time is running out to share your input with the interagency task force — click here to take advantage of this unique opportunity. "We desperately need your input and your participation right now, because we need all of our Cabinet members to hear from you," said Mark Reilly, Undersecretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education.
We also encourage you to watch SFC's 9:30 Call and Eve's speech from the Worcester listening session to learn more about the interagency task force.
Edward Street will provide updates regarding the interagency task force and its efforts to improve early education and care affordability and accessibility. Read our blog and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for updates on early education and care programs and resources in Central Massachusetts.