Page 2 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, July 15, 2022 DiDomenico, a Longtime Early Ed Champion, Votes to Pass Transformational Bill to Expand Access to Affordable Early Education and Child Care Senate bill would support children and families, early education providers, and the early education workforce B OSTON – Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate to unanimously pass S.2973 An Act to expand access to high-quality, aff ordable early education and care. This bipartisan legislation will transform early education and childcare in the Commonwealth by making it more accessible and aff ordable for families, providing high-quality care for young children, strengthening early education providers, improving compensation and professional development for the early education workforce, and addressing the workforce needs of Massachusetts employers. The bill draws from the recommendations made by the Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission, which was created by the legislature in 2020 and issued its fi nal report in March 2022. “This issue has been a top priority of mine for many years, and I am thrilled to pass this transformative piece of legislation alongside my Senate colleagues,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate and a member of the Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission. “As a father of two children, I know that aff ordable and quality early education and care is indispensable for families and their economic security. This bill will increase childcare access and ANGELO’S FULL SERVICE Regular Unleaded $4.189 Mid Unleaded $4.459 Super $4.989 Diesel Fuel $4.999 44 Years of Excellence!! 1978-2022 KERO $8.99 DEF $4.75 9 DYED ULS $4.249 9 HEATING OIL 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS Hours: Mon. - Wed. 6AM - 6PM / Thurs. & Fri. 6AM - 7PM / Sat. 7AM - 5PM / Sun. 9AM-1PM help thousands of families obtain care at lower costs. Just as importantly, these investments will provide support to childcare providers and ensure people working in this fi eld can earn a living wage, acquire higher education, and support their own families. I want to thank Senate President Karen Spilka for making this a priority and Chair Jason Lewis and Chair Michael Rodrigues for all their work to bring this important issue to the Senate fl oor.” “Just as the Senate led on transforming the Commonwealth’s K-12 education system through the Student Opportunity Act, today’s bill would similarly transform the early education system,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Unfortunately, high-quality early education remains out of reach for most Massachusetts families, and our providers struggle to keep their doors open. This bill will address those issues and make our Commonwealth stronger by making early education more aff ordable, investing in our early educators, and ensuring the sustainability of our providers. I want to thank Senator Lewis and the members of the Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission for their extensive work on this bill, as well as for the work of Chair Rodrigues and the many, many advocates and stakeholders that got us to today.” Senator DiDomenico has been a champion for early education and care expansion since he fi rst took offi ce 12 years ago. In 2013, DiDomenico played a pivotal role in creating an Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) capital fund that provided $45M in loans and grants to early learning centers and outof-school-time programs serving low-income families. Recently, during the onset of the pandemic, Senator DiDomenico secured $10 Million for COVID-19 Preparedness and Stabilization Grants to provide critical support to Massachusetts afterschool and out-of-school time programs. Throughout the past two years, DiDomenico served on the Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission and worked with colleagues to create a blueprint for the investments Massachusetts needs to make in the care economy. The Senator worked tirelessly to push this massive early education and childcare bill across the fi nish line and will continue to fi ght for even more investments in the years to come. High-quality early education helps young children to develop stronger communication, social, and cognitive skills. Investments in early education have been shown to yield considerable long-term benefi ts, such as higher academic achievement and greater lifetime earnings. Many families in Massachusetts, however, lack access to high-quality, DIDOMENICO | SEE PAGE 12 OUR OFFICE HAS MOVED TO 519 BROADWAY, EVERETT SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: Rocco Longo, Owner WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM Prices subject to change Ask about our Heating Oil Conditioner! FLEET
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