EARLY ED Act would expand accessible, affordable, and high-quality care across the state
BOSTON (3/14/2024)—Today, Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to unanimously pass legislation to make early education and care more accessible and affordable for families across Massachusetts.
The EARLY ED Act—An Act ensuring affordability, readiness and learning for our youth and driving economic development—takes transformative steps to improve the affordability and sustainability of childcare programs by making the state’s Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) operational grant program permanent, expanding eligibility for the state’s subsidy program and capping subsidy recipients’ childcare costs at 7 per cent of family income, and boosting compensation for educators by creating a career ladder and providing scholarships and loan forgiveness.
“I am proud of the Senate’s continued leadership to rein in costs and increase access to early education and childcare, giving our youngest minds a running start at learning,” said Senator Friedman, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “For far too long in Massachusetts families have struggled to afford adequate childcare, and often women are the ones who have to leave the workforce to meet a family’s need. This massive inequity, coupled with many other challenges in the early education and childcare space, are addressed by this bill. The urgency of addressing this situation is marked by today’s unanimous Senate vote — this bill needs to cross the finish line this session, parents and families in the Commonwealth simply cannot wait any longer. … Read more.