Y Staff Advocates for Positive Changes for Early Education

YMCAs have set service areas, defined geographic communities that make no sense other than to them. They don’t necessarily follow county lines, or even city and town borders. But, when it really comes down to it, all YMCAs work on common causes, and work together to meet goals that will strengthen all communities.

On Thursday, February 27, the South Shore YMCA and the Old Colony YMCA met in Boston, at the State House, to advocate for change and growth that would affect not only southeastern Massachusetts, but communities across the state.

After a gracious welcome from State Senator Walter Timilty (D, Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth), leaders from both organizations met with legislators representing residents from Fall River to Plymouth to Quincy to Brockton to discuss the legislative and budgetary priorities put forward by the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs. The legislative priorities include acts to promote public health through the return of the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund; the creation of a Home Works Program, which would create a program for emergency assistance children ages five to 14 living in motels and shelters to be able to attend summer camp and other out-of-school programs; state employee coverage of CDC recognized diabetes prevention programs; the creation of a donation check-off box on state tax returns for the Massachusetts Youth & Government program; and mandating that the Board of Early Education and Care set fair and adequate reimbursement rates for income eligible vouchers and contracts.

The budgetary priorities addressed funding for these programs but also the statewide Youth-at-Risk line, requesting $2.6 million to go directly to all 28 YMCAs and 926 locations in Massachusetts where Ys work for safety around water, sumer literacy, teen employment programs and more. In 2019, Massachusetts YMCAs matched state funding 24:1.

Laureen Browning, Regional Vice President for the South Shore YMCA, spoke passionately about the need for an increase in the rate reserve for all early and school-age child care educators in Massachusetts, ensuring quality programming and adequate salaries for the workforce. Thirty-seven percent of these dedicated and needed educators across the state receive some sort of public assistance, due to their low pay. “We are reaching a crisis point in early education in the Commonwealth,” said Browning. “Teachers are leaving the field, and families who receive state subsidized vouchers that will help them enroll their children in quality programs are very often being turned away or put on long waitlists, especially for infant and toddler care, due to educator staffing shortages.”

The South Shore Y, the Old Colony Y, and all Massachusetts YMCAs continue to fight for these changes, to create a better future for all residents of the state.