BOSTON —
A new pilot program is providing childcare options to parents, who don’t work the traditional 9-to-5 job. The program is being partially funded by $100 million in state grants.
Naomi Hastings worked a long day before picking up her 3-year-old daughter Frankie Friday afternoon.
She needs a day care that can start before 6 a.m., as she is a carpenter for Local 328 in Boston and her job site starts early.
“It’s great to have a home-based day care that have start times as early as 5 a.m., so people can get to their job sites on time,” she said.
Helen Barrios is with Care That Works, a day care provider that connects working parents with certified in-home day care providers.
“Naomi was having issues getting to work on time and because of that, she was laid off because she wasn’t able to drop off her daughter early enough,” Barrios said. “Having a provider who accepts her daughter at 5:30, now she can get to work on time.”
“This is an incredibly important issue,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “Child care in Massachusetts, the costs are really high. We have to do everything we can to drive down costs.”
Cutting costs is something Hastings supports.
“The trades are doing a good job trying to recruit more women and this provides a pathway for women or single mothers to enter to the trades,” Barrios said.
A job fair will be held Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center for people looking to get into the trades and who may also need affordable child care.
