The cost of child care

This series examines why Massachusetts — a national leader in public education — has among the most expensive child care in the country, and what to do about it.

The Massachusetts State House. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Child care is in crisis. Here's what's being done about it

The pandemic has made child care problems harder to ignore. Business leaders and politicians began to see them not as a private burden for families, but as an urgent public...

Education

07:02Jun 17, 2022

Most child care centers, like this one in Waltham, closed down in March 2020 as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Child care is a problem for employers, too. Now more of them want solutions

"I don't think that employers see it so much as their responsibility, as much as they see it as their enlightened self-interest because they desperately need workers," says Tom Weber,...

Education

05:09Jun 15, 2022

One woman's story about affording child care, while working in early education

The child care system in the U.S. operates in a precarious balance. It's often a strain on family budgets. Yet, the workers who provide this essential service often don't make...

Education

Jun 15, 2022

Why child care in Massachusetts costs so much

At over $20,000 a year, the average price of infant care in Massachusetts is the highest among the 50 states.

Education

04:44Jun 14, 2022

Deneen Coren plays with 22-month-old Tsifira. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

How child care can build kids' brains, one interaction at a time

The most rapid brain development happens in the first five years of life, and evidence suggests back-and-forth interactions between children and their caregivers play a pivotal role.

Education

04:49Jun 14, 2022

Current and former early educators in Massachusetts. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

We asked 8 child care workers about their joys and frustrations. Here's what they said

Staffing shortages and turnover have been problems in early education for years, but the pandemic took those issues from bad to worse. The child care workforce in Massachusetts is now...

Education

09:05Jun 13, 2022