When the COVID-19 pandemic took the U.S. by storm in March 2020, we saw nationwide shutdowns of nearly every type of establishment. This included schools and child care centers, leaving child care providers out of work, and parents to adapt by either working from home, leaving a job, or trying to get their child involved in Zoom classes. Now, as Fall approaches a year later, schools are preparing to go back, and parents are returning to in-person work, bringing back the need for additional child care resources. However, many parents are finding extra hurdles in what can be an already difficult process, between reduced capacity, staffing limitations, cost and hours.
Jeanne McKenna, Program Director of Buds and Blossoms Early Education & Child Care Center (B&B), said that staffing was an ongoing struggle she and many other centers have been wrestling with when it comes to providing adequate child care. “They [licensed child care workers] have been out for a while,” she told us, “I think a lot have been looking at different avenues of work”. Much like other care centers, the lack of staffing has led to a decrease in available capacity for B&B, reducing the amount of parents whose children can be accepted into the program. Overall, Boston saw a 12% decrease in licensed early educators and 81 fewer licensed centers in March 2021, driving a trend the city has been seeing since 2017.
The shortage of teachers has also affected the hours a center can be operational, forcing parents that work earlier or later hours to either leave their workplace or find additional alternatives in order to care for their children. “We used to be able to open at 6AM and stay open until 7PM, but now our hours are 8AM – 5:30PM, because we don’t have the staff for more,” McKenna noted, adding that it was one of the bigger stressors put on parents in trying to get their children back out into in-person programs. Many parents may now rely on before or after school programs to keep their children engaged and in a safe place while they are at work.
On June 8, 2021, the Department of Early Education and Childhood (EEC) Board met with their strategic plan for entering fiscal year 2022. Their discussion included topics such as the current state of Massachusetts child care, grant opportunities, and COVID-19 recovery. Part of this proposed plan was the continuation of deferred licensing fees for child care centers and professionals, which opens up licensing opportunities for those with fewer disposable funds. However, it was also proposed that previously required staff qualifications be reduced to continue encouraging participation in the field. In a publicly held session by EEC earlier in the year, overwhelming support to discontinue counting parents below the poverty line was voiced in regards to adapting the fee structure, meaning copays for centers would not begin until a family is 100% above the poverty threshold. Participants also advised that fees be directly related to a family’s income, resulting in the vast majority only spending only 7% of their income on child care.
Parents are still feeling the financial crunch, however, in the ongoing search for providers. As of June 2020, Massachusetts was ranked as having nearly the highest prices for child care, second only to the District of Columbia. “What do you do when daycare costs as much as your mortgage? It’s completely inaccessible to some,” said Christopher Johnson, a new father and working professional in the Greater Boston Area. “Some parents are finding it cheaper to just leave their jobs and watch their children themselves.” Johnson’s family, like many others, are also looking at possible alternatives to traditional child care, such as babysitters found in Facebook groups. “Right now, the main concern is to be able to socialize our son. It used to be Covid, but now we really just want to get him socialized,” Johnson added.
For children with developmental delays or disabilities, the race to find the right services is even more pressing. Early Intervention (EI) programs have remained in scarce supply since the COVID-19 Pandemic began. 40% fewer children have received necessary EI services across the Greater Boston Area, with some of the largest decreases occurring in majority non-white communities. While funding to enroll in specialized care may be awarded to some through EEC provided grants, those who apply when funding is unavailable will be placed on a waitlist.
Though steps have been taken to soften the blow of the child care crisis, many Boston area parents and education centers are experiencing difficulties. While some come directly from the COVID-19 pandemic, others are ongoing problems seen throughout the past four to five years in Massachusetts. As families returning to work continue their search for child care options, and schools for licensed staff, everyone is doing their best to stay afloat as hopes for improvements remain.
