 |
As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials recently met with child care and early childhood education representatives from Western Massachusetts at Berkshire Community College. I had the opportunity to provide the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners.
Early childhood education brings tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care has a tremendous impact on brain development and children’s future health and success in school and life. In addition, it provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families.
Berkshire United Way has invested in improving early childhood development opportunities in the Berkshires for decades. We fund high-quality nonprofit child care centers that provide places for low-income families. We also support the sector by co-hosting monthly meetings of child care center leaders to work on common challenges and propose solutions together. We are committed to early childhood education and have a great partner in doing so, State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
Staffing is a key element of providing quality care. Research shows that having qualified and consistent teachers in a classroom creates lasting change for children. However, salaries remain stagnant and often do not provide educators with a basic financial security. We often hear that educators have left the profession because they can no longer manage their finances. Salaries need to be improved to better reflect teachers’ expertise and the lasting impact they have on their profession.
If we look specifically at our region, our data is worrying.
As Berkshire County emerges from the pandemic, we, much like the rest of the state, are struggling with transportation, affordable housing, and a lack of mental health resources. We are also seeing an increase in the number of economically disadvantaged households.
After nearly a decade of decline, Berkshire County has experienced a significant increase in income inequality, which now exceeds state and national trends and is well above comparable counties, according to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. More than half of our population is “economically disadvantaged,” meaning they work but struggle to make ends meet. A single parent with a school-age child needs between $70,000 and $80,000 in income and benefits just to meet their basic needs.
Too many of our local educators and preschool staff are from economically disadvantaged populations.
Compensation for early childhood children is a complicated issue and it is necessary to explore various viable solutions that can be ‘tested’ before large-scale action is taken.
I commend Strategies for Children and the Massachusetts Early Childhood Funder Collaborative for researching compensation strategies. During my participation in these working groups, it became clear that compensation solutions should be tested and evaluated at the regional level.
Massachusetts is a diverse state that should seek solutions that best meet local needs and realities. Any solution tested would be presented to state leaders, who could work to integrate options to address this multifaceted problem.
Berkshire United Way is committed to the compensation of our early childhood educators and plans to launch a Berkshire County Advisory Group in early 2025 to focus on solutions for the sustainability of the early childhood system in the Berkshires. We expect this group to be the catalyst for creative and innovative solutions.
Early childhood educators deserve a living wage that compensates for the quality and impact on our youngest neighbors and their families. Massachusetts understands the critical importance of a well-functioning child care system and could lead the nation in seriously addressing and comprehensively solving the compensation problem.
Katherine von Haefen is Director of Community Impact at Berkshire United Way.
Keywords: Childcare,
