Five Days of Action for Child Abuse Prevention

As adults, perhaps our biggest responsibility in our lifetime is to protect our children, and the uncertainty of the world today has made that more important now than ever before. 

As part of our commitment to social responsibility to the communities we serve, the Hockomock Area YMCA, along with YMCAs throughout Massachusetts and across the nation will be sponsoring Five Days of Action for Child Abuse Prevention, a campaign committed to raise awareness and inspire adults to take an active role to protect children from sexual abuse.  Please visit one of our three branches to pledge to take action to protect kids all year long.

While child protection is our Y’s number one priority every day, this critical campaign will run April 15th through April 19th as we approach summertime, and will shine a collective spotlight on how everyone can do something to prevent child sexual abuse. 

5 Days of Action for Child Abuse Prevention

Our Y will share information and resources each day to our members and community partners about how adults can prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse situations to keep children safe.

Statistics from Praesidium and the CDC indicate that 1 in 20 boys and 1 in 4 girls in the United States are sexually abused, typically by someone they know and trust. Child sexual abuse is happening regardless of age, gender, race, religion or socio-economic class.

But these are not just numbers. Behind every number is a child, a child who has been robbed of their innocence. A child whose life will forever have been changed by the heinous act of an adult. We owe it to our children, and we owe it to their future, to do better. 

Help us prevent child sexual abuse through Know, See, Respond.  When adults know how abuse happens, see the warning signs, and respond quickly to prevent abuse, they foster a culture of child abuse prevention. Together we can bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse in our communities and have important conversations on how we can all work together to prevent it from happening. Please join our YMCA to spread important awareness and resources with your social networks and family and friends around this devastating epidemic.

Our YMCA is proud to partner and collaborate with school systems, municipalities and other human service organizations throughout our service area to help bring awareness, education and training regarding this issue. We remain committed to this collaborative cause and our effort to be part of a community-based prevention movement.  

Our YMCA was awarded Praesidium Accreditation® in February by Praesidium, the leader in abuse risk management.  To achieve accreditation, our Hockomock Area YMCA underwent a rigorous process to implement Praesidium’s Accreditation Standards focusing on eight primary operational areas within our business: policies, screening and selection, training, monitoring and supervision, consumer participation, internal feedback systems, responding, and administrative practices. Praesidium then verified our Y’s successful implementation of these standards. The Hockomock Y will be accredited for three years, and during this time will commit to uphold fundamental organizational values and stringent safety practices that demonstrate our commitment to protecting those in our care from abuse.  We are proud to be part of the 24 YMCAs across the nation to reach this status and look forward to helping mentor other YMCAs in their process of becoming accredited.

As responsible adults, we need to give children a happy, healthy and safe childhood. Our world needs them, and they need us. Let’s give them the childhood they deserve.    

Jim Downs

CEO

Hockomock Area YMCA

www.hockymca.org

Senate Passes Bill Supporting Parents Running for Public Office

Legislation would recognize child care costs as a valid campaign expense

The Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would support parents running for public office by recognizing childcare as a valid campaign expense.

“Public service is a personal choice made more complicated and daunting for working parents, especially women, who face the added costs of childcare,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “While we’ve made great strides in diversifying our electoral representation in Massachusetts, there is much more we can do to make the decision to run for office easier for people with kids. I want to thank Senator Jehlen for championing this issue and look forward to it advancing in the legislative process.”

“This bill would break down a major barrier to open elective office to people who have traditionally not had that opportunity,” said Senator Patricia D. Jehlen (D-Sommerville), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. “Many of us currently in office would not be here today if we didn't have trusted people taking care of our kids while we knocked doors for our first campaigns. Allowing campaign finances to be used for child care means that more people in our communities can participate than ever before and amplify the voices of those who have previously not been heard.”

Under the bill, a political candidate would be able to expend campaign funds for childcare costs, using money raised in support of a political campaign. The bill tasks the Director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance with the creation of regulation to oversee the implementation of this change.

The bill now heads to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Passes Bill Supporting Parents Running for Public Office

"Senate early education bill could transform childcare landscape" - eventually

"IN THE 19TH CENTURY, Massachusetts pioneered the idea that K-12 education should be a public good, available and accessible to all children and families. Today we take this for granted. But at the time that Horace Mann was leading this movement, it was a revolutionary idea.

Three years ago, the Massachusetts Legislature began the process of transforming the quality of K-12 education through the Student Opportunity Act, beginning a multi-year process of significant new investments in all of our public schools to ensure every student in the state has access to high-quality learning opportunities."

Continue reading the article online -> https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/senate-early-education-bill-could-transform-childcare-landscape/

The Senate legislation document -> https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2973

"The bill is definitely better than nothing. But better than nothing is not the standard we should be holding ourselves to on Beacon Hill"  Sonia Chang-Diaz full statement via Twitter ->   https://twitter.com/SenChangDiaz/status/1545175404960530432

My statement on S.2973, regarding early education and child care, which passed the Senate today

Five Days of Action: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention initiative

As adults, perhaps our biggest responsibility in our lifetime is to protect our children, and the uncertainty of the world today has made that more important now than ever before. 

Statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that 1 in 10 children in the United States are sexually abused before their 18th birthday, typically by someone they know and trust; and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that 1 in 5 children will be solicited sexually on the internet. Child sexual abuse is happening regardless of age, gender, race, religion or socio-economic class.

But these are not just numbers. Behind every number is a child, a child who has been robbed of their innocence. A child whose life will forever have been changed by the heinous act of an adult. We owe it to our children, and we owe it to their future, to do better. 

As part of our commitment to social responsibility to the communities we serve, the Hockomock Area YMCA, along with YMCAs throughout Massachusetts and across the nation will be sponsoring Five Days of Action for Child Abuse Prevention, a campaign committed to raise awareness and inspire adults to take an active role to protect children from sexual abuse. 

While child protection is our Y’s number one priority every day, this critical campaign will run from April 18th through April 22nd and we will help shine a collective spotlight on how everyone can do something to prevent child sexual abuse. 

Our Y will share information and resources each day to our members and community partners about how adults can prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse situations to keep children safe.

Help us prevent child sexual abuse through Know, See, Respond.  When adults know how abuse happens, see the warning signs, and respond quickly to prevent abuse, they foster a culture of child abuse prevention. Together we can bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse in our communities and have important conversations on how we can all work together to prevent it from happening. Please join our YMCA to spread important awareness and resources with your social networks and family and friends around this devastating epidemic.

Our YMCA is proud to have partnered and collaborated with school systems, municipalities and other human service organizations throughout our service area to help bring awareness, education and training regarding this issue. We remain committed to this collaborative cause and our effort to be part of a community-based prevention movement.  

For more information and resources—including training opportunities for your organization, visit our website at hockymca.org/child-protection or email protectkids@hockymca.org. 

As responsible adults, we need to give children a happy, healthy and safe childhood. Our world needs them, and they need us. Let’s give them the childhood they deserve.    

Jim Downs
CEO, Hockomock Area YMCA

 

Know, See, Respond

Franklin, MA is a location for COVID-19 Testing for Child Care

COVID-19 Testing for Child Care

Department of Early Education & Care (EEC) will be offering No-Cost COVID-19 drive-through testing for the child care community at locations across Massachusetts. Get Tested. Testing for COVID-19 is widely available in Massachusetts and critically important to preventing the spread.

 

For additional information on the testing process and requirements

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-testing-for-child-care

Franklin is a location for COVID-19 Testing for Child Care

"members simply could not reach a consensus on an issue that became incredibly controversial"

"AFTER 16 MONTHS of work, members of a commission tasked with updating the state’s laws for reporting child abuse have failed to reach an agreement and will not make any recommendations to the Legislature.  

The report of the mandated reporter commission is scheduled to be released Wednesday. At a meeting Monday, commission members decided to include in that report a summary of their deliberations and of feedback obtained in a public comment period – but not to vote on any legislative recommendations.  

“There’s no recommendations,” confirmed the state’s child advocate, Maria Mossaides, who chairs the commission, after the meeting.  

Asked why the commission decided not to make any recommendations, Mossaides said she was “unwilling to speak for the commission on that matter,” and she would let the document speak for itself when it is released. "

Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/commission-on-child-abuse-reporting-fails-to-reach-consensus/

"a rare opportunity—and a responsibility—to reimagine the path towards what I call “back to better”"

An excerpt from Senate President Karen Spilka's remarks to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, April 13, 2021: 

"I have been particularly struck by the statistics on the devastating effects COVID-19 has had on women in the workplace. Before the pandemic, women in Massachusetts were participating in the workforce at increasing rates, surpassing the national rate by 2019 – but the pandemic has brought women back to where they were after the 2009 recession. In fact, the percentage of women participating in the U.S. labor market in October 2020 was the lowest since 1988.

It is clear to me that if we wish to have a full and equitable recovery, we must take a close look at the factors that affect women’s employment, at every level and in every sector, and one clear factor that we must address is caregiving. In the same way that we learned to diversify our sectors after the last recession, we are now learning that we must support and strengthen the caregiving sector in Massachusetts so that we can support working families across the Commonwealth.

Almost exactly one year ago today, I appeared before this Chamber, in what was your first ever virtual forum, if you can believe it, and declared that childcare was as important to our infrastructure as roads and bridges in getting people back to work. The struggles of the past year have borne this out, which is why I have pushed the Legislature to begin to address the need for childcare, including providing for emergency childcare for essential workers, increasing rates for early education providers, and dedicating $40 million for a new reserve to cover parent fees for those receiving subsidized childcare. We also established the Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission to review childcare funding and make recommendations on policy changes to expand access.

With the promise of over $500 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan, we are well-poised to make more strides in making childcare more accessible and affordable, and I look forward to working with all of you to dedicate our best thinking towards tackling this problem, both in the public and private sectors.

But childcare is just one piece of what many are calling a “caregiving crisis”–a storm that has been brewing on our horizon for a few years, but which COVID-19 has turned into a full-blown tsunami. Many people, mostly women, who work in non-caregiving professions, but are sandwiched between aging parents and growing children, have dropped out of the workforce in alarming numbers to care for those who rely on them, while too many Black and brown women who work in caregiving professions have been crushed by the job losses of the economic downturn, with devastating results for their families and communities. As we all feel the squeeze of this caregiving crisis, is it any surprise that we are facing a mental health crisis as well?

But this is Massachusetts, my friends, and I know we can do better. "

Continue reading the full text of Senate President Spilka's remarks
https://karenspilka.com/updates/2021/4/13/sd2diqeu9ul39l05kvjwx6zu4lulna 

"a rare opportunity—and a responsibility—to reimagine the path towards what I call “back to better”"

“The pandemic really laid bare just how critical a role childcare plays"

 

"A COALITION OF early education advocates will introduce an ambitious proposal Tuesday to completely overhaul the state’s early education system. The legislation would provide universal, affordable early education in Massachusetts, turning childcare from a system that is now largely private pay to one that is primarily publicly funded. 

The plan would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and the coalition has not yet proposed how to pay for it. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has shed a spotlight on the importance of childcare to the economy –– and the fragility of the existing childcare system – the plan, while unlikely to pass, could provide a foundation for broader discussions about how to make childcare more accessible. It is being introduced at the same time as new powerful coalitions – a business organization and a philanthropic group –– are beginning to focus intensely on how to improve early education."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/advocates-push-universal-publicly-funded-early-education

 

"employers cut 140,000 jobs in December alone and all of them were held by women"

 

"WOMEN ENDED 2020 with 5.4 million fewer jobs than they had in February 2020, prior to the start of the pandemic. December unemployment figures showed that employers cut 140,000 jobs in December alone and all of them were held by women. The “shecession” of 2020 has thrown into stark relief the barriers that keep the gender/racial wage gap alive for working women. The data tells a story but what paints the picture is the decades-long reality for working women laid bare for all to see in the last year.

The overwhelming inequities that make upward mobility at work such an uneven climb for women – harassment, lack of childcare and paid leave, unequal expectations compared to their male co-workers – are not new. This time, however, they are hard to ignore. Working from home on Zoom means that women are not privately managing this tightrope act anymore. And for those whose jobs don’t allow for remote work, it has meant leaving the workforce altogether, possibly setting back improvements in the wage and racial gap for years."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/shecession-means-the-jig-is-up/ 

CommonWealth Magazine: child care “holding our economy hostage”

From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin:

"CHILD CARE’S CRITICAL importance to our economy was obvious as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the Commonwealth. Some parents scrambled to work remotely while caring for children. Others rushed to secure care so they could perform essential work, much of it on the frontlines to ensure the health and well-being of Massachusetts residents. 

But even as the pandemic revealed the essential nature of child care, it’s also made it more vulnerable than ever. Lawmakers are entering a critical moment for the early education and care sector as they debate the 2021 fiscal year budget. And the pandemic may be coloring perceptions about the demand for child care that could hurt children and families in the long run. 

The fact is that the child care supply has dwindled in Massachusetts during the pandemic as providers closed in the face of fiscal challenges or limited enrollment to accommodate new safety protocols. The Department of Early Education and Care recently reported that enrollment is at 66 percent of pre-COVID numbers. This sharp drop includes parents who have chosen not to send their children or who now need very different arrangements than they did prior to the pandemic. As lawmakers account for these changes in the upcoming budget, do the current COVID-related trends signal decreased demand and justify a reduction in investments to stabilize and secure the sector? 

The simple answer? No. "

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/state-leaders-must-invest-in-child-care/ 

"IF THERE WAS ever any doubt that the state’s system of early education and care for very young children was on the brink of crisis with far-reaching consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic has erased it. Congresswoman Katherine Clark, whose bill to  invest $50 billion in the sector was passed by the House of Representatives in July,  recently said that a COVID-19-related lack of access to child care was “holding our economy hostage.” 

Her observation is borne out by testimony collected in September by the state’s Commission on the Status of Women. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of women reported that COVID-19-related changes to child care arrangements had affected their ability to work. Included in this group were early care and education business owners themselves, who explained that if their own children could not attend school then they could not keep their businesses open. One reported that she was on the verge of losing her child care center, which had been serving her community for 17 years. 

Solutions such as Congresswoman Clark’s bill, which treats child care and early education programs as an essential public good requiring public investment, are key to ensuring that the sector doesn’t collapse under the weight of urgent needs from young families and their employers. Given the complex problems facing the field and early educators’ expertise and innovative approaches to problems of practice, it’s also important to center early educators in the policy making process."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/crisis-in-early-education-and-care-demands-action/

The report on childcare and the workforce referenced in this article can be found here:  https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.umb.edu/dist/3/4418/files/2020/10/UMass-Boston-EEC-Workforce-Survey-Report-October-2020-Final-Updated.pdf

"80 percent of those leaving the workforce during the pandemic are women"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"LAUREN SONALKAR was working as a part-time science teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools before the pandemic. A week before school started this year, the district offered Sonalkar a job working full time, teaching a small class of fourth graders in person.

Sonalkar lives in Arlington, where her first-grade daughter was given the opportunity of hybrid or remote schooling, and the family felt remote learning would be a more consistent option. Sonalkar also has a 3-year-old in a part-time nanny share and needs to be available to help her mother, who has a disability.

“When they told me I’d have to be full time, I was like I can’t do that,” Sonalkar said.

Sonalkar’s husband works in finance, and the family relies on his income more than hers. She felt her only choice was to take a year-long leave of absence from her teaching job.

While Sonalkar knows she is privileged to be able to forgo the income and have a job waiting for her, she said, “It felt like losing a piece of my identity a little bit.”

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/economy/pandemic-forcing-exodus-of-women-from-workforce/ 

 

 

Lack of childcare forcing many to step back from jobs

Hockomock Area YMCA Out of School Time (OST) Support Programs Pre-Registration Opens

With local schools in Franklin, Bellingham and Milford operating hybrid or remote, the Bernon Family Branch YMCA in Franklin will fill the gaps to ensure kids have safe places to learn during the school day while parents are managing their own work and schedule commitments. Out of School Time (OST) provides full day in-person learning assistance and additional enrichment programming for grades K-6. OST full day programs will take place in both Franklin and Milford. We offer 3 or 5 day options running from 7:00 am – 4:00 pm (until 5:00 pm in Milford), with optional extended care available in Franklin.

YMCA staff will assist students in their school assignments using their own Chromebook and headset, assist with questions during remote learning, and help to keep them on track as they connect with their teachers online. During class breaks and after school work is completed, the Y team will engage students with enrichment and physical activities.

Safety is our top priority, and the COVID safety protocols we'll use are based on procedures developed for our successful Summer Camp and Emergency Child Care programs that allowed our Hockomock Area YMCA branches to safely provide care for over 700 kids during the past six months.

OST PROGRAMS AVAILABLE

FRANKLIN (available for Franklin, Bellingham and Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School students):

• OST runs 7:00 am – 4:00 pm 5 DAYS (cost $300 per week)
• OST runs 7:00 am – 4:00 pm 3 DAYS (cost $180 per week)

MILFORD (at Milford Youth Center, 24 Pearl Street, Milford):

• OST runs 7:00 am – 4:00 pm 5 DAYS (cost $250 per week)
• OST runs 7:00 am – 5:00 pm 3 DAYS (cost $150 per week)

EXTENDED CARE AVAILABLE IN FRANKLIN:

• Runs 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 5 DAYS (cost $50 per week or free to Hockomock Area YMCA members)
• Runs 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 3 DAYS (cost $30 per week or free to Hockomock Area YMCA members)

Note: use promo code BEFOREANDAFTER to avoid paying our registration fee twice – for any child you have already enrolled in OST.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Our Y offers programs and services to all regardless of ability to pay. Our financial assistance program is available to those who need support and for those that qualify. Download our financial assistance brochure pdf here (https://www.hockymca.org/shared/docs/financial-assistance-application.pdf).

Use promo code VOUCHER$50 during registration if you are using a state voucher

Use promo code ROFY$25 during registration if you currently receive a Hockomock Area YMCA scholarship

HOW TO REGISTER

Currently, we are accepting $50 deposits. We offe

Hockomock Area YMCA Out of School Time (OST)

r a 5% discount for siblings, and will be applied automatically upon the start of the billing cycle. Following enrollment at the link below, please keep an eye out for our email with required next steps. An email will be sent within three business days. Included will be forms that you must complete and return to your local Hockomock Area YMCA or via scanned email. Though they may have been responded to in the online pre-registration, the forms must be completed in their entirety. Once we review your forms, only then can we contact you to confirm your student's enrollment.

** CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW FOR OUT OF SCHOOL TIME **: Franklin | Milford

For questions or more information, please contact us at 508-643-5243 or schoolsout2@hockymca.org, or visit us at https://www.hockymca.org/out-of-school-time-support/. 

In the News: Gov Baker issues executive order on child care and activates 1,000 National Guard

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order Friday that gives working parents more child care options for children engaged in remote learning when school resumes this fall. 

The order allows the Department of Early Education and Care to authorize currently licensed after-school and out-of-school programs to operate during the school day. Current law prohibits such programs for school-aged children from offering care during regular school hours. 

It will allow YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, family child care homes and other facilities to care for school-age children who are learning remotely. 

The state will also exempt informal remote learning parent cooperative arrangements organized by families, if the groups are supervised by unpaid parents."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200829/state-expands-child-care-options-for-start-of-school-year?rssfeed=true

Related article from the Boston Globe

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/28/metro/state-allow-remote-learning-pods-kids-programs-outside-schools/

"One thousand members of the Massachusetts National Guard were activated to state active duty on Friday by Gov. Charlie Baker.

In a statement, a spokesperson said only that the National Guard members were being activated, “in the event that municipal leaders require their assistance.”

While no specific reason was cited for the activation, Baker’s decision comes on the heels of protests and deadly violence in Wisconsin following the shooting of Jacob Blake."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200829/gov-baker-activates-1000-national-guard-members?rssfeed=true

Hockomock Area YMCA Offers Remote Learning Support Programs and Before & After School Care

Our Hockomock Area YMCA knows this academic year will challenge families and present a unique need in our communities, as families will be balancing their children's remote learning needs with their own work schedules and commitments. We have been preparing to adapt our Y's Before & After School Care program to include both full-day remote learning support as needed, along with traditional before and after school care.  These enhanced programs will be comprehensive, supporting your child's virtual learning needs, while providing enrichment, socialization and physical activity each day. 
 
At all three of our YMCA full facility branches in Foxboro, Franklin and North Attleboro, we plan to provide onsite full-day remote learning and enrichment programming Monday through Friday as space allows. We are also identifying additional buildings in communities we serve where we may be able to expand our offering and allow more families to register.

Here is where we are in this process and the next steps we must take.

• All organizations who plan to offer any childcare or school age support program during the school year must be licensed by the state's Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) in order to operate legally and within the standards that provide quality care and keep children safe.
• All Hockomock Area YMCA childcare and before and after school care programs are licensed by DEEC and we follow their guidelines strictly.
• While local school districts have submitted their final plans to the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for approval, and have communicated these plans to families within their community, the DEEC that we depend upon for licensing has not yet issued their revised COVID-19 standards or guidelines. These two state departments coordinate efforts to make sure guidelines are consistent.
• Until these guidelines are released, no program can operate, and we cannot finalize key elements, including staff to child ratios, the number of children allowed per classroom, and revised cleaning protocols.

According to the DEEC, the state should be providing us with the necessary guidelines by the end of this week or early next week. It has been shared with us that organizations like our Y who already have a license will be first in line to expand their care and be approved for the full day remote learning support program.
 
We will be moving forward in the next few days on anticipated program guidelines and making registration for families available, with the understanding that the entire program is pending on state approval.

If you would like to receive future updates and registration information once it’s available, please complete our online contact form by CLICKING HERE (https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=PpzOnpumbUWH4PxDDFqr5r-uLr_JgcNOrd_wDdoe02lUNjVMSzM3WDdDMzhBVDk2QkVJUThPTDJQSSQlQCN0PWcu).

Hockomock Area YMCA
Bernon Family Branch
45 Forge Hill Road, Franklin, MA 02038
Phone: 508-528-8708
http://www.hockymca.org/franklin

Hockomock Area YMCA 

Commonwealth Magazine: delays in childcare licensing; "A color coded map is not a plan"

 From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin:

"NICOLE MCCORMACK, a hairstylist from Haverhilll, always dreamed of opening a home daycare. So with her youngest son entering kindergarten, she started applying for a license in March.

Five months later, she has not been able to take the training courses required by the Department of Early Education and Care, and her licensing process is stalled. The delays have left her and several families who are interested in her daycare, either neighbors or people who saw her website, in limbo.

“There’s people that are calling, and I don’t know what to tell them, when I’ll be able to accept them,” McCormack said.

As many existing childcare providers struggle with the decision about whether to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a crop of potential new providers have been prevented from opening by pandemic-related delays in the state’s licensing process."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/licensing-of-new-childcare-providers-on-hold/

"EVERY CITY AND TOWN in Massachusetts has spent months trying to figure out how to return to in-person schooling. We all know the social, emotional, and educational benefits for our children. We all know a fully functioning school system also primes the pump of our economy because it allows everyone to go to work. I recognize the importance not just as a mayor, but as a parent of four school-aged children. However, the stark reality is we’re in the midst of a pandemic with COVID-19 cases still cropping up all over our state.

What we have needed from the start is a real plan from the state and the support needed to implement it. We need pervasive surveillance testing so we can catch and isolate new cases before we suffer general outbreaks. We need robust contact tracing. We need to re-outfit ventilation systems in our schools and reorganize our classrooms. We need to have a rational understanding of how many other things in our society we can have open before we attempt to bring back our schools full-time. Instead, what we got last week was a color-coded map that provides no new information for those of us working on these issues.

I appreciate the bind in which Gov. Charlie Baker finds himself. Much of what we need to develop a sustainable reopening plan relies upon federal funding and support, and that’s a black hole from which no help is likely to emerge. However, a map is not a plan.

Municipal officials already are well aware of our local numbers. Yet it means very little that our community ranks as low risk of transmission when we have two extremely high risk communities, Everett and Chelsea, on our border and a school workforce that resides throughout the region. What happens in Everett and Chelsea happens in Somerville. Coronavirus doesn’t recognize city lines. If we’ve got an outbreak on our doorstep, then we need to respond like we’ve got an outbreak."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/curtatone-a-color-coded-map-is-not-a-plan/

"some quite frankly won’t be coming back"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Some local child care providers are daunted by the state’s reopening guidelines, saying that while they understand the need to be safe during the pandemic, the new regulations will limit their ability to serve families.

At least one center operator said she can’t envision reopening under the new rules, which were announced by the state earlier this month.

“No one’s going to be able to do it – there’s no way,” said Ann Latino, director of Miss Betty’s Step in Time Daycare Center in Worcester, who added the regulations for older students, who cannot be in groups larger than 10 and must remain with the same staff members each day, is particularly challenging. “That means no floaters – (staff) won’t even be able to go to the bathroom.”

Like schools and colleges, child care centers and preschools in Massachusetts had to shut down to most families in mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the state. The only exceptions were children of emergency workers, who were still allowed to attend specially licensed centers."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200614/central-mass-child-care-providers-say-reopening-guidelines-hard-to-meet-especially-for-preschool-set

COVID-19 UPdate by Gov Baker on Phase 2 preparations

"Today (6/3/20), Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, and Early Education & Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy to provide an update on COVID-19 reopening, testing, and restrictions on long-term care facilities.

Video link = https://youtu.be/W0UOs7YYvjE


Business listing with schedule of re-opening per phases
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/reopening-when-can-my-business-reopen

Outdoor and recreation guidelines
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/executive-office-of-energy-and-environmental-affairs-eea-covid-19-guidance-documents

Child care and summer camps guidelines
https://eeclead.force.com/apex/EEC_ChildCareEmergencyReopenInfo

In the News: Gov Baker's "COVID-19 Update"; bottle returns resume this month

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The redemption of bottles will resume this month in a two-stage process.

Retailers using reverse vending machines can begin collecting on Friday, with retailers accepting containers over the counter starting June 19.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Attorney General’s Office on March 18 temporarily suspended enforcement of beverage container redemption requirements.

Bottle redemption services will need to adhere to the protocols set forth in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development’s guidance."

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https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200601/bottle-redemption-to-start-again-on-friday

Business listing with schedule of re-opening per phases
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/reopening-when-can-my-business-reopen

Outdoor and recreation guidelines
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/executive-office-of-energy-and-environmental-affairs-eea-covid-19-guidance-documents

Child care and summer camps guidelines
https://eeclead.force.com/apex/EEC_ChildCareEmergencyReopenInfo


Gov Baker update link = https://youtu.be/TQKcaZXmpRk

In the News: "Extent of reopening hinges on child care availability"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Transportation and child care, including summer camps, are key pieces of the “infrastructure” necessary for Massachusetts to reopen its economy, Senate President Karen Spilka says.

Spilka said the COVID-19 crisis “has made it really clear just how important accessible, reliable, quality child care is for so many families across our commonwealth,” and that she’s asked the Senate’s COVID-19 working group, led by state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, to make recommendations around child care.

“I think we can fight for, hopefully, some federal funds to help our economic recovery, public private partnerships with our business community, because I just don’t think it’s realistic at all to expect people to be able to go back to work without giving them a timeline for day cares, and for that matter summer camps,” Spilka told the News Service."

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https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200509/spilka-extent-of-reopening-hinges-on-child-care-availability

Senate President Karen Spilka: The latest updates on COVID-19
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/05/senate-president-karen-spilka-latest.html

"child care providers worry they may never reopen"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Dominated by small businesses, the country’s child care “system” has long been at a breaking point. Child care is expensive to operate and to provide, yet families are largely left to pay for it themselves while providers eke out a living on meager profits.

To make it through coronavirus-era closures and the economic downturn, providers say they need help.

Without it, parents juggling child care with working from home, or unable to afford care while they’re laid off, could find their provider is closed when they return to work."

This story about child care services was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.   https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20200405/coronavirus-is-closing-day-cares-child-care-providers-worry-they-may-never-reopen