Ben Downing, one of three Democrats running for governor, called for major new investments in child care on Thursday, endorsing legislation that would cap family child care expenses at 7 percent of household income as part of a plan to make care more accessible to working families.
If elected, Downing said he would seek to use money from comprehensive tax reform or the proposed income tax increase on the wealthy that will be on the 2022 ballot to provide direct funding to child care providers that would be based on capacity, not enrollment.
The goal, Downing said during Thursday, would be to increase capacity in the system and eliminate child care deserts in parts of the state where demand can sometimes outpace available seats by a three-to-one margin. According to his campaign, Downing wants to establish a system of universal affordable, high-quality, early education and childcare for every infant through pre-kindergartener in Massachusetts.
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