child care.
Tens of thousands of Massachusetts parents with very young children can continue to work because of family child care providers. It's critical that you take a moment to contact decision-makers and tell them to invest in the family child care that so many working parents depend on.
On
July 22nd, over thirty family providers went to the Massachusetts State
House to lobby to pass the legislation that will give the right to form
our union. We visited over twenty of our legislators including the some
of the most powerful legislators in the House of Representatives and
urged their support of our bill. 
"I
felt our Lobby Day was very powerful. It was good for us all to go to
the state house and to be able to come together with one voice speaking
out for improvements for family child care providers. Our
representative (Rosemary Sandlin) was very supportive of our bill and
encouraging to us about the importance of family child care in
Massachusetts. I left lobby day with a feeling of hope and excitement
for the future of our profession."
"As
a family provider and leader in our union lobby day was a great
experience! I was proud to see providers with kids coming together from
different parts of the state created a great atmosphere at the State
House empowering providers to have a voice and work with our state in
raising the quality of care. I also feel that we were recognized as
professional educators in our homes."By Sandra Orne, Donna Willis, & Jessica Quintara | Steering committee members
We had our third statewide steering committee meeting Saturday, June 7. Every quarter, we have a statewide committee meeting to hear reports from our regional committees and discuss our overall direction. This time, we had the meeting at a hotel in Worcester County to make it easier for providers from Western and Eastern Massachusetts to attend. Members from the Boston committee rented a van and drove out together.
There was much to discuss since we’ve had a lot of exciting things happen in the past three months. Most notably:
Also, every time we meet, we discuss the issues that bring us together and recognize that, despite our various backgrounds and communities, we share similar values and are not alone.
This is an exciting time for us. We are hopeful that a bill giving us the right to form our union will pass. We are also happy to announce that we now have cards signed from a majority of family providers statewide.
But that doesn’t mean our work is done. We need to build our networks
to build our organization. We are calling on all providers to get
involved. Start talking to one another or contact steering committee
members in your region so we can continue to grow stronger. This will
enable us to work toward developing a bargaining committee and a
strategy to win the best contract for children, parents, and family
providers in Massachusetts.
For information on regional steering committee meetings or to contact local steering committee members, call 617-316-0455.
By Evelyne Dalembert | Somerville, MA
We sat down May 7 with family child care systems who are affiliated
with the Massachusetts Association of Day Care Agencies (MADCA). June
Steele and Eugenia Finnell from Springfield joined me in presenting to
more than 25 people representing 24 systems. The presentation went
well; we explained why we are forming our union and expressed our
appreciation for the support our family child systems provide to us.
In our presentation, we recognized the shared values and issues we have with the systems. Some of the points we covered were:
We explained that, we would like to work together to improve these issues as we progress in forming our union.
Following the presentation, we took questions. The family child care systems asked multiple questions about dues and how this worked in other states. We explained that we wouldn’t make a decision on dues until we negotiate our contract and there wouldn’t be dues until we vote. We made it clear that dues will be our decision to make.
There were also questions about how our union would function in Massachusetts. We explained that we are the union, family providers will make the decisions, and we will vote on our contract and elect our leaders. They expressed concern about what this would mean to them and we said we hope it means we work together. This is why the meeting was important—so that we could work out any negative perceptions and find common ground.
When asked why we are forming our union with SEIU Local 888, we went back to the issues—for all the great work family child care systems do, we still struggle with low voucher rates that don’t come close to the market rate and a lack of affordable healthcare. We explained that, when we organize, we will be able to work at getting those issues resolved in partnership with our family child care systems and agencies.
We know systems care about our issues and share them with us. That's why this meeting was valuable. We hope we can work together and increase communication so that we can win gains for children, parents, and providers in Massachusetts - just as family providers have done in Illinois, Oregon, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Washington.
By Isabel Frias | Lawrence, MA & Clara Alexis | Everett, MA
Meeting with Sen. Susan Tucker
More than 20 family providers as well as parents and children welcomed Sen. Susan Tucker into my home in Lawrence, Mass., the evening of May 2. This was a chance to speak about our issues to our elected official and for them to see what a family child care home is like. Everyone was very excited to be speaking with Sen. Tucker because we know she is a strong supporter of families, not just in Lawrence but across the state.
We were able to explain to her some of the issues we face as providers:
Carolina Castillo, a parent of one of the children in my care also explained, “it’s important to me as a parent to have a choice and high quality care. I chose family child care because it provides a small classroom and added attention for my child.”
Sen. Tucker was
extremely positive and I feel she gained a lot of insight into our jobs
and the issues we face. As we make progress and organize our union, it
will be important to speak with legislators about our issues and make
sure our voice is heard so that we are recognized for the valuable work
we do in our communities.
Meeting with Councilman Sal DiDomenico
On June 18th, we also met with Everett City Councilman Sal DiDomenico who is the chief of staff to Senator Anthony D. Galluccio. The meeting took place at Clara Alexis’ home in Everett. I was glad the Councilman came to hear our concerns and he had good questions. We shared the same issues that providers in Lawrence shared with Senator Tucker. Our voices were heard on raising the quality of care for children and that providers are standing together and want to see positive changes for children and the system.
Silvia Rodriguez, a provider from Chelsea who attended the meeting at
my home in Everett said, “Councilman DiDomenico was very attentive to
our issues and I felt he knows we provide quality care for children and
are not just babysitters.”
We have scheduled more meetings with legislators and will keep you informed about local meetings in your area.
By Sonia Callahan | Brockton, MA
Wheelock
College held its third annual Community Dialogue on Early Education and
Care: New Initiatives, New Realities on May 22 in Brookline, Mass. This
year, the conference was focused on drawing up a shared vision for our
field and examining the various organizing initiatives and coalition
building that have been happening.
I was invited to
participate as a panel member and explain how we are organizing our
union, what initiatives we’ve undertaken, and what obstacles we face.
This was my first experience being a panel member and speaking in front
of more than a hundred people. I felt nervous but also privileged to be
there as one of the speakers to share the hard work and accomplishments
of our statewide steering committee and the thousands of Massachusetts
family providers we represent.
I was able to explain how
we’ve formed regional committees and developed a statewide committee
that meets quarterly to communicate and grow our organizing efforts. It
also gave me the opportunity to express the balancing act family child
care providers face on a daily basis. We are working to maintain access
to affordable healthcare, provide our children with quality care for
long hours , gain a stronger voice in our system, and deal with the
challenges brought on by low voucher rates.
Gwen Morgan was
also recognized for her tireless work for children. We all owe her so
much as a strong advocate for family child care. It was a great moment
to see.
All of the providers were well received at this influential meeting and I feel as though our voices were heard.
By Eugene Finnell | Steering committee member
I attended the March 15 steering committee meeting with other providers
from across the state. It was the first steering committee meeting that
I have attended and I'm glad that I was there. As a provider in
Springfield, MA for the past 15 years, I have many concerns about the
future of family child care. At times, I have felt as though I were a
single voice or perhaps the only one who felt that things needed to
change; that perception has changed.
It was refreshing and hopeful to hear other providers like me who share the same concerns and who are just as determined as I am about seeing changes. If we are going to see changes, we are all going to need to do our part. There are so many opportunities for all of us to get involved - and now is the time to come together.
I liken this experience to baking a cake. To achieve the end result, all the ingredients must be present and the directions need to be followed. If we are missing any of those things, in the end we will not have a cake. Just as every ingredient has an important and vital part to play in the creation of the cake, so too do each of us - all of us - have a vital role in this campaign. We each have different gifts and talents - we all have areas where we are strong.
This is not a claim for what we want - this is a demand for what we need. We need each other; we need to build our community of providers throughout the state - from Boston to Pittsfield and everywhere in between. As a fellow provider, I challenge and invite you to get involved; become a member of the steering committee, attend an EEC meeting, make house visits to other providers with organizers of this campaign, or hold a house meeting for other providers in your area. We cannot wait anymore - we need to make a difference for ourselves and, most importantly, for the children in our care that we love and nurture each day.
If you have ideas on how to improve our profession, or you want to get involved, just e-mail info@makidsfirst.org or call 617-482-4471, x23.
By Adelaida Rivera | Family child care provider in Worcester for 10 years
In the last newsletter, we had a story about ESL classes for family
child care providers in Lynn and Lawrence. Since that time, we've
expanded ESL classes to Worcester through a partnership with Child Care
Connection, a program of Family Services of Central Massachusetts and
providing classes through Quinsigamond Community College.
I am attending courses to improve my English and provide better services for American children and parents. In 2004, I got my CDA and have grown as a person and a professional. Now, by learning English, I hope to break out of the Spanish-speaking niche and bring more children into my home. I don't see myself as a babysitter, I see myself as an educator. My children say to me, "Mammy, you're a teacher. Why don't you go work in a school?" I prefer running my own business and raising children from birth. I support forming a union because I would like the system to change and improve. By coming together, we can improve the system for children.
Ana Rivas is also taking the course and she said the class has been a
good way to relieve the stress of work by learning with other family
providers. Ana said "we are sharing our experiences from work and life
in a relaxed working environment," and "the teacher is excellent." Ana
said she believes that forming a union is a way to help ourselves and
be part of the larger community.
Debi Lange from Child Care Connection had this to say, "We are glad to collaborate with SEIU and Quinsigamond Community College to offer affordable classes that will increase the skills and educational level of early childhood educators in home-based and center-based programs in Worcester."
If you have ideas on how to improve our profession, or you want to get involved, just e-mail info@makidsfirst.org or call 617-482-4471, x23.
By Edna Cotto | Family child care provider in Fitchburg for three years
I went door-to-door on Jan. 19 visiting providers to talk to them about
forming a union with SEIU. At first, I felt a little bit skeptical. But
I wanted other providers to know that I have concerns and issues I want
addressed. I found out that a lot of providers have the same concerns
that I have. For example: lack of medical insurance, issues with taxes,
no sick days, personal days, and the fact that we can't take a day off
without affecting our budgets. I also found that new providers can't
always access trainings to help them deal with children on a daily
basis.
Talking to other providers made me feel that I'm not alone. There are so many other providers who face the same challenges I do. I talked to them about the union because with a union we will have a voice. I encourage other providers to join me. The only way we can learn about the needs that we all have is if we all get together.
Providers were friendly and interested in what I had to say. I felt relaxed at the end of the day knowing that I'm not alone and there are others that have the same issues I have. I would do this again. I wish I had visited more providers that day. The more people you talk to, the more people will know they're not alone. I made good connections with other providers and I hope they will call me. I am more than willing to open my house for meetings to bring providers together.
If you have ideas on how to improve our profession, or you want to get involved, just e-mail info@makidsfirst.org or call 617-482-4471, x23.
By Clara Kijak | Family child care provider in Springfield for more than 20 years
More than 600 child care workers, advocates, and family providers met
Feb. 12 at the Statehouse to push the legislature to better address
child care priorities.
Right now, there are more than 24,000 children on a waiting list for vouchers. Their parents qualify for help with child care, but the state has not budgeted for the needs of these children. Working mothers struggle to provide for their children and if the state says they are eligible for help, they shouldn't be told to wait years for it.
By bringing together the people that are on the front line caring for children with the people who set the budget, we will bring the problems within Massachusetts child care to light, and force politicians to address the needs of working families.
After lobbying, a group of family providers went to the EEC meeting. We sat in on the board meeting that was supposed to address the waiting list, but nothing was resolved. That leaves 24,000 children still waiting for quality care, not to mention all the others that have not applied because they know they will not receive a voucher in time - or those families that make just above the level needed to qualify for vouchers.
We are the working families that put these politicians in office; they should be accountable to us. If no one stands up to push the state to do right by children, things will only get worse. But if we all come together, we can make our voices heard and bring all 24,000 children out of the cold. I encourage you to come to the next lobby day or EEC meeting.
If you have ideas on how to improve our profession, or you want to get involved, just e-mail info@makidsfirst.org or call 617-482-4471, x23.
We held our leadership conference Nov. 17 at SEIU Local 888 in
Charlestown. It was exciting to have so many providers together
face-to-face. Our union’s steering committee is a large group from
different parts of Massachusetts, speaking many languages and
representing the diversity in our profession.
We celebrated our victories in 2007 and talked about what worked best:
We also celebrated the victories of the 12,000 family providers in
Maryland, Pennsylvania and Maine who voted to form their unions over
the summer.
Then we broke into groups to brainstorm our plan to win in 2008.
We focused on three important points:
We are proud of the work we did, but it’s not over. We set the date for our next quarterly meeting in February. By then we will already have begun our plan and there will be a lot to discuss!
If you have ideas on how to improve our profession, or you want to get involved, just e-mail info@makidsfirst.org or call 617-482-4471, x23.
by June Steele, family provider in Springfield
Earlier this year, the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
held statewide meetings about proposed regulation changes, with support
from Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children. I
and more than 30 other child care providers from our union attended the
Springfield meeting June 19. We were given a 72-page draft of the new
regulations, as well as a handout from MAEYC that compared them with
the old regulations and summarized the proposed changes. The provider
steering committee of SEIU Kids First mailed that information to
providers in July, along with a Spanish translation. You can also read
the proposed changes at www.MAKidsFirst.org.
One change is that we would now be called "educators" in the regulations, instead "family child care providers." Most of us agreed with that change, but raised a lot of questions about other changes. At our meeting, providers asked for more information about the progress reports, fall zone requirements for outdoor play, administration of medications, and required postings and training requirements. The answers we received were mostly vague and we were told to enter our comments on the Web site.
Since those meetings there has been an informal comment period, and EEC has revised the proposed rules and regulations but has not released the new version publicly. After we see the revised version, they will schedule public hearings.
We'll let you know when the new version of the proposed changes is released and when the public hearings are set. Please read the draft-the public hearings will be our last chance have our say about the new regulations before the EEC board votes to approve them!
If you want to attend a public hearing with other providers to speak out on the new regulations, call 617-482-4471, x23.
by Evelyn Dalembert, family provider in Somerville
I have been participating in the pilot Universal Pre-Kindergarten
program and also serve on the board of the Multilingual Action Council.
I have recently been appointed to represent our union on the Workforce
Development Task Force of the Department of Early Education and Care
(EEC).
A large part of improving our profession is making
educational opportunities affordable and accessible for family child
care providers. In my experience, it's very hard to increase your
education, and be there every day for parents who need you, and still
pay your bills. I will work with the task force on ways to support
providers who want to get more education, and help the EEC understand
what it's like for family child care providers to try to balance
professional development with serving our communities.
On the task force, I am a member of the Core Competency Subcommittee. Core competencies
reflect the core body of knowledge and observable skills and attitudes
that educators working with young children need to help children grow
and learn. It is the subcommittee's job to evaluate a draft list of
competencies written by the EEC. We look at how they apply to
providers' current qualifications, and discuss what to add or subtract.
We are also considering how these competencies apply to different
settings and age groups.
Right now, I am the only family
child care provider on the task force. It's great to have the
opportunity to speak on behalf of family providers and our union, and I
am doing my best to make sure our voice is heard. But proposals made by
the state affect us all, and we need to organize and come together so
we have a collective voice in all the decisions Massachusetts makes
about our work and the children we care for.
As the task
force moves forward, I will be updating everyone on our progress by
e-mail or in Our Voice. If you have any questions or suggestions you'd
like me to bring to the task force, please e-mail me at
evelynedalembert@makidsfirst.org.
by Mercedes Perez, family provider in Lawrence
In September 2005, our union won a grant from the state to provide ESL
classes for child care providers, and I have been attending them.
Before, I had taken other ESL courses around my area but the new
classes are helping a lot more. The teachers and the coordinator for
the classes show support and interest in our work. Being a provider is
an important job to me, and a necessity in the community. Having the
opportunity to learn English helps me personally as well as in my work
as an educator to the children in my care. Since I have been in these
classes, I have noticed a big improvement in my English, especially in
understanding, and that has motivated me to prepare myself to take
English at the college level. The classes are also a way for providers
to socialize and meet providers from our town that we might not have a
chance to meet otherwise. Providers have a way to share ideas and tips
that are helpful to each other in our child care. I recommend all
providers that have the opportunity to attend the classes to go. It is
not only a learning experience but a way to grow as a provider.
Right now our union is providing ESL classes in Lawrence and Lowell,
and looking to expand classes and other trainings to Worcester,
Springfield, and Boston. If you want more information about where to
get trainings, just call 617-482-4471 x23.
The EEC has just extended the deadline to August 10 to receive comments about new draft regulations on family child care. The regulations contain a number of important changes that impact providers. You can read about some of the changes here
You can send your comments to the EEC at 51 Sleeper Street , 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02210 or email them to regreform@massmail.state.ma.us
SEIU Kids First providers and our allies have been discussing our goals for family child care in Massachusetts, and we've drafted a document called Crafting A Shared Vision for Professional Development andQuality Enhancement in Family Child Care. The document assesses the state of family child care in Massachusetts, identifies best practices that are succeeding in other states, and sets forth how we can move forward to improve the quality of care for all children in all settings, including those in family child care. To read the document, click here. To share your input, e-mail SEIU Kids First at info@makidsfirst.org or call 617-482-4471 to get involved in the statewide steering committee.
The National Women’s Law Center just issued a new report that found that when child care providers unite in unions, it has both increased public investment in child care and improved working conditions for providers. To read the report, visit
http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/GettingOrganized2007.pdf
by Lynda Johnson, Arlington family child care provider
The beginning of a new year is always a time for celebration, reflection, and hope. For family child care providers in our state, 2006 was an incredible year and we have a lot to accomplish in 2007.
As you know, this fall, we took an important step forward in our effort to win a voice and improve the quality of child care services in the Commonwealth. While we were disappointed that Ballot Question 3 was narrowly defeated, the campaign only brought providers closer together and left us more committed to making a difference for Massachusetts children.
We have a lot to be proud of! Together we made thousands of phone calls, knocked on doors, handed out leaflets, hosted house meetings for parents and providers, and delivered petitions to legislators. We carried our message to voters about the need to improve access to early education, enhance quality for the children we serve and retain a stable workforce.
This campaign only made us stronger and I know we will achieve our goals this year. But first we have to chart out our shared vision for the future.
We can’t afford to wait. High provider turnover, low voucher rates, and long wait lists are only getting worse. It’s up to us to fix the broken system by taking action and organizing our own statewide organization (a union) – for the children we serve, for our profession and for our own families.
I hope you will join me in this New Year’s resolution: let’s stick together, let’s stand up for our profession, let’s win for our children.
Next Steps to Win a Voice