Photo: Alyssa Haywoode for Strategies for Children

The country has a new president-elect, and big changes are in store for Washington. What does this mean for Massachusetts and the issue of high-quality early education and care? Here’s our initial recap of news headlines from around the web.

“Incumbents in the Massachusetts Legislature put on a strong showing across the state Tuesday night as House and Senate lawmakers from both parties defended their seats and the Massachusetts Republican Party flipped one seat on the Cape in an open race,” according to a State House News story that ran in the Lowell Sun.

MassLive.com has election results posted here.

Voters also decided on four ballot questions, including Question 2, which would have lifted the cap on charter schools. Voters opted to leave the cap in place. Click here to read the Boston Globe’s town-by-town list of support for and against Question 2.

Now that Donald Trump is the new president-elect, his plans for child care could move to the forefront of policy making.

Trump’s vision for child care includes:

– allowing “parents to enroll in tax-free dependent care savings accounts for their children or elderly relatives”

– allowing parents to deduct child care expenses on their income taxes for up to four children and for elderly dependents

– “Incentivizing employers to provide childcare at the workplace,” and

– providing “6 weeks of paid leave to new mothers before returning to work”

To get more context, read EdWeek’s July, 2016, article about comparing the candidates’ stands on education.

We will keep you posted on federal policy developments in the months ahead. Stay informed! Click here to receive email updates from Strategies for Children.”