“ ‘The reality is that the cost of child care outpaces what families can afford,’ said Kim Davenport, managing director of Birth to 3rd Grade Alignment at Edward Street Child Services, a nonprofit in Worcester.”

“ ‘The earliest years set the foundation for later learning and life success,’ Davenport said. ‘The investment we make there now pays incredible dividends later. We know it. We have the science. We have the economics. We have the long-term outcomes. Now we need the investment.’ ”

“Child headed to preschool this fall? Better start saving now,” by Eli Sherman, Wicked Local Marshfield, July 2, 2018