(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Dear Editor,

As many parents will know, affordable childcare is difficult to find in Massachusetts. Middlesex County is the third most expensive county in the U.S. for childcare. Governor Maura Healey herself stated that childcare was a crisis in her inaugural speech early this year. But on Wednesday, August 9, Governor Healey slashed funds in the FY24 budget that would provide higher wages to our early childcare educators, undermining her very own goal of making childcare more accessible. Governor Healey vetoed $1 million funding for Head Start State Supplemental Grants and slashed $35 million salary rate funding for center-based early educators in programs that work with low-income and at-risk children. These unconscionable cuts undermine the value and respect for educators serving our youngest learners and would directly hit the wallets of those who are most deserving of more.

At The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), we serve over 200 young children and their families in Somerville each year through our Head Start program. Head Start provides no-cost early education and comprehensive child and family services to more than 10,000 of our Common-wealth’s most vulnerable young children. Head Start serves families earning under the Federal Poverty Guidelines, currently just $27,750 for a family of four. Our programs ensure that not only are children able to receive an education that sets them up for future success, but that their families are able to find affordable housing and employment, creating the stability children and families need to thrive. But like many other early childcare programs, we are struggling to retain teachers, significantly reducing the number of families we’re able to serve.

The early education workforce shortage has hit programs hard. As of the Massachusetts Head Start Association’s most recent workforce survey in April 2023, Head Start programs are already operating at an 18% staff vacancy rate. CAAS, like other programs throughout the state, is struggling to find and retain teachers. Decades of underfunding in existing state and federal funds have caused stagnant Head Start staff salaries that fail to meet the needs of educators. In fact, 67% of statewide programs say that staff are leaving their programs for higher wages elsewhere, making early childhood education more expensive for families across Massachusetts. Head Start educators are highly qualified and degreed, and yet classroom teachers earn just $39,520 annually on average. Head Start State Supplemental Grants go directly to supporting this most basic need – over 90% of grant funds go to wage and salary support for Head Start staff.

Head Start is also facing a crisis in Washington, DC. The US House Appropriations Committee has recommended a 6.25% cut for Head Start in the federal FY24 budget, which would devastate Head Start programs, forcing layoffs and elimination of services for vulnerable children and families. This additional cut by Governor Healey would add devastation to devastation, forcing painful decisions at our program to eliminate services in order to pay staff closer to what they deserve.

We remain grateful for the legislature’s investments in our workforce in their FY24 budget. These cuts cannot stand.

Sincerely,

The Community Action Agency of Somerville