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This story is being provided for free as part of a series on childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, powered by the Solutions Journalism Network and dedicated to delivering solution-oriented stories about problems our community is facing.
FRAMINGHAM With a young daughter in the MetroWest YMCA day program, Framingham mom Katie Brennan just secured a promotion at her job.
“I definitely do not think it would have been something I could do if I was working remotely at home with my kids,” said Brennan, whose other child is a seventh-grader. “Without that day care, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
filed Tuesday would create a system of universal child and after-school care in the state, creating more predictable funding for providers and subsidizing costs for all families. The bill would infuse the child and after-school system with an estimated $600 million over five years, according to one of the bill s sponsors.
Upon full implementation, families earning less than half the state s median income would qualify for free child care. Families earning more than that would pay on a sliding scale, with none spending more than 7% of their household income on child care. (Sen. Elizabeth Warren proposed a similar plan as a presidential candidate.)
By Katie Lannan, State House News Service •
Published February 16, 2021 •
Updated on February 16, 2021 at 5:45 pm
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Massachusetts would gradually establish a universal system of early education and child care from birth through age 5, under a new and pricey bill backed by a statewide coalition of more than 120 groups.
The Common Start Coalition said the pandemic has underscored how critical early education and child care is for families and the economy, and access remains out of reach for many. The coalition is coordinated by a committee consisting of the Coalition for Social Justice, Greater Boston Legal Services, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Mass. Association of Early Education and Care, Mass. Business Roundtable, the Commission on the Status of Women, Neighborhood Villages, Parenting Journey, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, SEIU Local 509 and Strategies for Children. The bill s sponsors are Reps. Ken Gordon and Adri