Page 27 - BusinessWest June 10, 2024

viders are facing the difficult decision between continuing in the profession they love or leaving for a higher-paid career,” Healey said. “Childcare is cen- tral to the success of our entire state — for affordability, education, workforce, equity, and our economic potential — and together we are taking important steps toward solutions.”
The Early Education and Child Care Task Force will engage with industry and business leaders, organized labor, health-services stakeholders, housing and planning experts, working parents and caregivers, and childcare providers and experts in order to craft recom- mendations aligned with the following five policy objectives:
• Surveying practices of other states in reducing costs, increasing capacity, and improving quality of childcare providers and making rec- ommendations for how such practices could be adopted in Massachusetts;
“If you support folks, get them into the industry by paying them to learn, they’ll probably be more motivated to work for you full-time
as an employee. And in our field, we are desperate to strengthen our workforce.”
• Assessing how better coordina- tion among state agencies could sup- port families in accessing childcare that meets their needs, including through technology improvements;
• Identifying resources for build- ing capacity and increasing afford- ability in the state’s mixed-delivery childcare system, including from the federal government, the philanthropic community, and employers, which may include exploring incentives for employers to assist employees with child care;
• Identifying strategies to recruit, train, upskill, and retain members of the childcare workforce, including by expanding apprenticeship initiatives, higher-education programs, and train- ing opportunities; and
• Reviewing existing assets to iden- tify potential locations to establish center-based care.
“Childcare and early education are critical enablers for economic growth in Massachusetts,” Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao said. “Through this task force, the administration will take a whole- of-government approach to ensure that the state has equitable childcare solutions to meet the needs of the workforce and economy, making Mas- sachusetts the best place to raise a family, grow a business, and succeed in a fulfilling career.”
Thinking Outside the Box
DiStefano said she’s excited about a new, state-level push for an apprentice- ship model for early education, similar to buiding trades like electrical, plumb- ing, carpentry, and HVAC, where young people are paid to gain experience as they learn.
“People need to work and earn a living. People do not want to go to a four-year college and come out with debt for a $17-an-hour job. And we know our industry doesn’t start off very strong with hourly wage,” she noted. “So you’ve got to be creative. I’m excit- ed about this potential apprenticeship model, where you’re paid to learn.
“It’s a balance, much like in other trades, like plumbing or electricity, where you go to work and you’re also training in the classroom to strengthen your formal education. And you’re get- ting paid to do all that, whether it’s by the business community or the philan- thropic community or in a government- supported way.
“If you support folks, get them into the industry by paying them to learn, they’ll probably be more motivated to work for you full-time as an employee,” she went on. “And in our field, we are desperate to strengthen our workforce.”
What seems to be emerging, DiSte- fano said, is a realization that statewide investments in early education will pay
off exponentially in the broader econo- my, allowing parents to work and busi- nesses to retain talent.
And whether it’s through expanded scholarships, free community-college programs, or innovative apprenticeship initiatives, the impact is the same: more people able to work, learn, and gener- ate income while doing it.
“There’s no better selling point,” she told BusinessWest. “The field of child- care and early learning is looking at the model of the trades and saying, ‘maybe we can do that.’ So I’m excited about the changes in our workforce develop- ment. This is an exciting moment to be in this field.” BW
BusinessWest
MONTHLY FEATURE
JUNE 10, 2024 27