Executive Order

Executive Order  No. 625: Establishing an Inter-Agency Task Force on Ensuring Affordable, High-Quality Child Care

Date: 01/16/2024
Issuer: Maura Healey
Mass Register: No. 1514

Table of Contents

WHEREAS, the Healey-Driscoll administration is committed to ensuring that Massachusetts is a place where every child can reach their full potential;

WHEREAS, high-quality child care lays the foundation for all children to thrive academically and socially, especially children in communities that have been historically marginalized or that lack equitable educational opportunities;

WHEREAS, access to affordable, high-quality child care can be a key driver of economic growth and mobility by enabling families of all income levels to participate in the workforce;

WHEREAS, child care costs in Massachusetts are high, and more child care is needed than the child care system currently can provide;

WHEREAS, we must build an equitable system of safe, affordable, high-quality early education and care in Massachusetts;

WHEREAS, expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care requires drawing on the expertise and efforts of agencies across the executive branch;

WHEREAS, the Executive Office of Education and the Department of Early Education and Care is working to support the healthy growth and development of all children;

WHEREAS, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development is working to ensure a robust pipeline of skilled workers, in all industries, including early child care;

WHEREAS, the Executive Office of Economic Development is promoting economic opportunity for all residents, including caregivers participating in the workforce;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Maura T. Healey, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution, Part 2, c. 2, § I, Art. I, do hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Establishment of Task Force

There is hereby established within the Office of the Governor an Inter-Agency Task Force on Ensuring Affordable, High-Quality Child Care, to advise the Governor on the development of a whole-of-government approach to increasing access to affordable high-quality child care.

The Task Force shall be comprised of the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Secretary of Economic Development, who shall serve as co-chairs, as well as the Secretaries of Administration and Finance, Energy and Environmental Affairs, Health and Human Services, Housing and Livable Communities, Public Safety and Security, Technology Services and Security, Transportation, and Veterans Services, or their designees.  Any designee of a Secretary shall be an existing employee of such Secretary’s office.  The Executive Office of Education and the Department of Early Education and Care shall provide staffing to support the work of the Task Force.

The Task Force shall meet no fewer than four times per year, as determined by the co-chairs.

Section 2. Objectives

The objective of the Task Force shall be to coordinate efforts across secretariats to ensure that Massachusetts leads the nation in child care access, affordability, equity, and quality, including by:

  1. Surveying practices of other states in reducing costs, increasing capacity, and improving quality of child care providers and making recommendations for how such practices could be adopted in Massachusetts;
  2. Assessing how better coordination among state agencies could support families in accessing child care that meets their needs, including through technology improvements;
  3. Identifying resources for building capacity and increasing affordability in the child care system (through both center-based and family child care), including from the federal government, the philanthropic community, and employers, which may include exploring incentives for employers to assist employees with child care;
  4. Identifying strategies to recruit, train, upskill, and retain members of the child care workforce, including by expanding apprenticeship initiatives, higher education programs, and training opportunities;
  5. Reviewing existing assets to identify potential locations to establish center-based care, which shall include consulting with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance regarding their work identifying surplus and underutilized land for housing pursuant to executive Order No. 623.

In developing its recommendations, the Task Force shall engage with industry and business leaders, organized labor, health services stakeholders, housing and planning experts, working parents and caregivers, and child care providers and experts.

In developing and refining its recommendations, the Task Force may coordinate cross-secretariat pilot programs directed at developing and refining recommendations relating to at least one of the identified objectives.  For each such pilot program, the Co-Chairs, with the agreement of the relevant Secretary, shall designate a single Secretariat or agency responsible for leading implementation of the pilot.

Section 3. Advisory Groups

The Co-Chairs may convene, as needed, individuals with relevant experience or expertise to provide advice with respect to the effort to increase access to, and the affordability of, high-quality child care.  Such advisory groups shall perform a purely advisory function, and participants shall serve without compensation at the pleasure of the Co-Chairs.  All advisory groups shall be led by a member of the Task Force, as designated by the Co-Chairs.  Advisory groups shall meet from time to time, as scheduled by the Co-Chairs or the advisory group leader.

Section 4. Reporting

The Task Force shall, at least annually, report to the Governor on the status of its work, including any interim or final recommendations, the results and findings of any implemented pilot programs, and on any initiatives or policy changes made within secretariats to increase access to and affordability of high-quality child care.

Section 5. Compatibility with Existing Laws

Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to require action inconsistent with any applicable state or federal law.

Section 6. Effective Date

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately and shall continue in effect for a period of three years from the date of this Order unless earlier revoked.

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