Understanding Boston - When the Bough Breaks - Why Now Is the Moment to Invest in Massachusetts’ Fragile Child Care System

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia

Understanding Boston examines why Massachusetts’ early education and care system has reached a breaking point and what is needed to stabilize it. The report highlights high family costs, low wages driving child care workers out of the workforce, provider instability, and reduced capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic. It frames the crisis through an ecosystem lens and presents stories from parents and professionals across the Commonwealth, concluding with a case for child care investment as an engine for a working economy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

The Child Care Ecosystem

The Power of Early Education and Care

The Impact of the Care Crisis: Stories from the Commonwealth

Conclusion and a Look Ahead: Child Care Investment for a Working Economy in the Commonwealth

Appendix

Interviews Conducted

End notes

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U N D E R S T A N D I N G B O S T O N | | --- | | When the Bough Breaks
Why Now Is the Moment to Invest in Massachusetts’
Fragile Child Care System
| | December 2021 | The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, seeks to bring the collective power of our region’s people and resources together to drive real change. Established in 1915, it is one of the largest community foundationsin the nation—with net assets of $1.3 billion. In 2020, the Foundation received $169 million in contributions and the Foundation and its donors paid $215 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation has many partners, including its donors, who have established more than 1,000 separate charitable funds for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. With support from the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership, the Foundation also facilitates public discourse and action, commissions research into the most critical issues of our time and advocates for public policy that advances opportunity for everyone. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a consulting unit of the Foundation, designs and implements customized philanthropic strategies for families, foundations and corporations around the globe. To learn more about the Foundation and its work, [visit TBF.org](visit TBF.org). Sarah Jackson is a California-based journalist covering education, child welfare, and workforce development. Sarah works closely with leading academics, foundations and think tanks to get research into the hands of policymakers. A former newspaper reporter, Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a joint master’s degree in urban policy and planning and child development from Tufts University. She has written for New America, Early Edge California, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, and many others. Sarah was named a 2020 Data Fellow with USC’s Center for Health Journalism for reporting on the well-being of children under five. Acknowledgements The author and Boston Foundation staff would like to thank the parents and professionals who spoke to us at length about their experiences and assessments of the child care sector in Massachusetts. These include Turahn Dorsey, Louise Jeffy-Dennis, Linda Mason, MaryBeth Mattingly, Kristin McSwain, Amy O’Leary, Laura Perille, Maureen Peterson, Sarah Savage and Tom Weber. UNDERSTANDING BOSTON is a series of forums, educational events and research sponsored by the Boston Foundation to provide information and insight into issues affecting Boston, its neighborhoods and the region. By working in collaboration with a wide range of partners, the Boston Foundation provides opportunities for people to come together to explore challenges facing our constantly changing community and to develop an informed civic agenda. Visit www.tbf.org to learn more about Understanding Boston and the Boston Foundation. Design: Canfield Design [Cover Photo:](Cover Photo: Alexandr Podvalny | pexels.com)[ Alexandr Podvalny](Cover Photo: Alexandr Podvalny | pexels.com)[ |](Cover Photo: Alexandr Podvalny | pexels.com)[ pexels.com](Cover Photo: Alexandr Podvalny | pexels.com) © 2021 by the Boston Foundation. All rights reserved. U N D E R S T A N D I N G B O S T O N When the Bough Breaks Why Now Is the Moment to Invest in Massachusetts’ Fragile Child Care System AUTHOR Sarah Jackson EDITORS Brianna A. Savage and Sandy Kendall, The Boston Foundation Contents I. The Child Care Ecosystem ................................................................... 5 II. The Power of Early Education and Care ...................................................... 7 III. The Impact of the Care Crisis: Stories from the Commonwealth .............................. 8 Laura Perille, Nurtury Louise Jeffy-Dennis, Parent Maureen Peterson, Parent Tom Weber, Massachusetts Business Coalitio

FAQs

Why does the report argue Massachusetts needs immediate investment in child care?

It states that without public investment, the Massachusetts economy cannot fully recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and the early education and care system is at a breaking point.

What factors are worsening the child care crisis in the Commonwealth?

The document highlights high costs for families, very low wages for child care workers leading them to leave the workforce, business strain from labor shortages, and pandemic-related closures and capacity losses.

How does the report support its analysis?

It uses an ecosystem framework and includes stories from the Commonwealth featuring parents and professionals, followed by conclusions and a forward-looking discussion on investment for a working economy.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia