Common Start Bill (S.362 / H.605)

Full Title:  An Act providing affordable and accessible high quality early education and care to promote child development and well-being and support the economy in the Commonwealth

Lead Sponsors:  Sens. Jason Lewis & Susan Moran; Reps. Ken Gordon & Adrian Madaro 

Committee: Joint Committee on Education

The Issue

Massachusetts, which has the highest child care costs in the nation, has an even higher lack of affordable child care now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our poorest communities have been hit the hardest.  The workforce has recently lost 1.6 million workers, with almost half  not expected to return to work due to the inability to pay for child care.  Families need affordable child care to be able to support their families and the economy needs these workers to return to their jobs.

The Solution

The Common Start Bill would provide subsidies to ensure a universal system of affordable, high-quality early education and child care for all Massachusetts families, over a 5-year timeline. This system would cover early education and care for children from birth through age 5, as well as after- and out-of-school time for children ages 5-12, and for children with special needs through age 15.  It would have an incremental roll-out over 5 years that prioritizes the lowest-income, highest-need families. 

Once fully implemented, families below 50% of statewide median income (50% of SMI today is $62,668 for a family of four, or $42,614 for a single parent with one child) would be able to access early education and child care options for free. Families with incomes above that threshold would pay no more than 7 percent of their total household income.

Programs would be available in early education and child care centers, private homes, and schools.

In addition to tackling affordability, the bill would expand access to high-quality early education and child care for families of children with disabilities or households that do not speak English, and it would direct the Department of Early Education and Care to implement new salary guidelines for early educators.

Highlights

• Provide subsidies to ensure a universal system of affordable, high-quality early education and child care for all Massachusetts families, over a 5-year timeline.

• Covers early education and care for children from birth through age 5, as well as after- and out-of-school time for children ages 5-12, and for children with special needs through age 15.

• Phases in over five years and prioritizes the lowest-income, highest-need families.

• Expands access to programs in early education and child care centers, private homes, and schools.

• Directs the Department of Early Education and Care to implement new salary guidelines for early educators.

Learn More

• Economic Policy Institute. “The Cost of Child Care in Massachusetts.” October 20, 2020. https://www.epi.org/child-care-costs-in-the-united-states/#/MA.

• Gould, Elise and Hunter Blair., Who’s Paying Now? The Explicit and Implicit Costs of the Current Early Care and Education System. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute, 2020. https://www.epi.org/publication/whos-paying-now-costs-of-the-current-ece-system/.

• Lucas, Kimberly and Wendy Wagner Robeson. “Too Much and Not Enough: Family Stresses and Child Care Preferences in Boston During COVID-19.” Women’s Advancement, City of Boston. November 2020. https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2020/11/1809-03-mowa_eml%20report%20-%20draft%20.pdf.

• Gomes, Eunicia and Marie Menard. “Essential Workers Need Child Care Support.” Commonwealth Magazine. March 28, 2021. https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/essential-workers-need-child-care-support.

• Rebecca Rewald. “Child Care Is A Public Good. Our Government Should Start Treating It That Way.” Cognoscenti. March 24, 2021. https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2021/03/24/covid-relief-child-care-pandemic-rebecca-rewald.

• Wellesley Centers for Women. Recording of Crisis and Opportunity: Building a Better Child Care System. March 24, 2021. https://www.wcwonline.org/Videos-by-WCW-Scholars-and-Trainers/crisis-and-opportunity-building-a-better-childcare-system.
• The Common Start Coalition is dedicated to advocating for this bill through education and coalition building: https://commonstartma.org.

Sample Email/Call Script

Find your legislators’ contact information here.

Our child care systems have been devastated by COVID-19 and the families of essential service workers are among those affected the most.  It is estimated that 30% of our child care services will not be functional going forward.  Families were already severely stressed by unaffordable and unavailable child care options before the pandemic.  Many have been forced to leave the workforce which leaves them and our economy in financial jeopardy.

Please support the Common Start bill (S.362/H.605) from Senators Lewis and Moran and Representatives Gordon and Madaro.

The Common Start bill will lift up Massachusetts families by providing child care and early education that is affordable for everyone.  It is most essential to lower-income families, but it will also aid middle-income families who must cope with the highest cost child care in the nation.  We need the quarter million workers who have left the workforce to return to their jobs so they can have income stability and we need them employed for our economy to prosper.

Key Talking Points (For Social Media, use #CommonStartMA and #mapoli)

• COVID has shown the weakness of our child care infrastructure. It’s time to invest to build a system we deserve.

• 40% of women have cut back their hours or left the workforce due to lack of child care. Universal child care is a gender equity issue.

• All families deserve high-quality, affordable child care. But it’s too often out of reach. The Common Start bill will fix that.

• Universal child care is good for parents and good for students -- and good for the community. It’s time for Massachusetts to lead.

• It’s inexcusable that Massachusetts has the most expensive child care in the country. The Common Start bill would change that.

• Universal child care should be viewed as a vital part of our infrastructure. The Common Start bill shows the way forward.

• High-quality early education programs get results. Children benefit with enhanced resiliency and employment opportunities over their lifetimes.

• Providing children with high-quality early education and child care is one of the most effective ways to further a child’s success in grades K-12 and beyond.

• Universal child care would strengthen our economy while reducing gender and racial disparities. It’s a win-win all around.

Sample Letter to the Editor (courtesy of the Common Start Coalition)

Even before the pandemic, access to quality early education and child care was unaffordable for too many Massachusetts families. Indeed, we have the highest child care costs in the country.

Provide an example of why the issue is so important to you.

That’s why I’m so grateful that State Senator [Name] and State Representative [Name] have co-sponsored the Common Start legislation, which would establish a universal system of affordable, high-quality early education and child care for all Massachusetts families. (If they’ve already done so)

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 5-12, and for children with special needs through age 15.

Universal child care is good for parents, good for children, and good for businesses, and it strengthens the economy while reducing racial and gender disparities. It’s time to start seeing child care as the vital part of our social infrastructure that it is.

Send your draft to Andrew Farnitano at andrew@crawfordstrategies.com, who is working with the Common Start coalition.