Representative Nick Collins has made early education and care (EEC) one of his key legislative priorities as the House of Representatives develops its budget for FY18.
In an announcement last week, the Early Education and Care Business Advisory Task Force, convened by House Speaker Robert DeLeo and consisting of business leaders from across the state, reported that there is a 30% turnover rate amongst the early education and care workforce as salaries hover just above federal poverty guidelines.
The reported showed that there are an estimated 90,000 educators working in roughly 10,000 licensed day care centers across Massachusetts. These educators have median salaries between $22,501 and $27,500, significantly less than the starting salary for public school teachers. The report also found that median wage for child care workers has dropped two percent since 2010 and that 39% of workers are enrolled in at least one public support program.
The Task Force also concluded that the quality of teachers is the most important factor in realizing the benefits of early education and care and that high quality pre-kindergarten education increases a child’s chances of earning a college education and finding gainful employment. However, not enough resources are being dedicated to EEC, as evidenced by high rates of turnover.
To address this problem in the early education workforce, the House plans to boost funding for the education rate reserve while also introducing legislation to professionalize the EEC workforce. These proposals seek to improve teacher retention and attract strong talent to the EEC workforce by offering competitive salaries for teachers while ensuring that early education and care teachers have the professional development, training and tools they need to provide high-quality education to children across Massachusetts.
“High quality early education and care are crucial in preparing our children to succeed in today’s economy,” said Rep. Collins. “Attracting and retaining good teachers is vital. We need to invest more in the people that educate our children during the formative years that are so important toward their development. I stand ready to work with my colleagues in the Legislature and Mayor Martin J. Walsh to improve early education for children across the Commonwealth.”
The number of individuals supporting investments in EEC has grown rapidly since the start of the legislative cycle in January, as Speaker DeLeo and Mayor Walsh have also called for increased funding and resources for EEC. The measure has the support of the business communities as the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance for Business Leadership have voiced their support for greater investments in early education.
