Boston Mayor Marty Walsh meets with a young learner. Source: City of Boston Mayor’s Office’s Flickr page.

As a state representative and as the mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh has been a champion of children and families.

Now that President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Walsh to be his Secretary of Labor, we want to thank Walsh and recognize his years of support for early education and care.

Back in 2013, when Walsh was a state representative running for mayor, he said:

“If we can allow more families access to daycare, number one that will help. Number two: also work on helping parents — sometimes younger parents — give them the education they need to go forward.”

In 2014, Walsh created an advisory committee to expand preschool access for 4-year-olds, noting:

“Pre-kindergarten programs ensure that all students start kindergarten ready to learn… Rather than spend time on remediation in education, we are investing in our youngest students to lay the groundwork for their long-term success and the long-term prosperity of Boston.”

In 2019, Walsh invested $15 million in high-quality pre-K programs. He also launched a child care survey. Links to other city initiatives are available here.

And in 2020, he encouraged family child care providers to apply for grant funding to get through the pandemic. In addition, Walsh, along with Boston City Council member Annissa Essaibi-George, also wrote an opinion piece published by WBUR – “Boston’s Child Care System is Collapsing. We Must Bail it Out” — which says in part:

“This year’s COVID closures show why child care is a critical piece of our economic infrastructure. Early educators not only provide children with the foundations of healthy development, but they also enable working families to strive for financial freedom, contribute to our economy and provide the essential services we all rely on.

“Now, the system is collapsing. Boston alone has lost almost 5,000 seats, 23% of seats that were available before the pandemic, and it is not clear whether they will come back. This loss will have disastrous consequences for families and for our economy, as many parents will struggle to return to work even when jobs become available.”

“The situation is dire, and it’s time for the government to invest in child care with the same urgency as in other sectors, like airlines, oil companies and colleges. A federal response is critical, and we’re grateful for our senators in Washington who are fighting for $50 billion in funding for early education and care.”

“We have an opportunity to rebuild the system so it comes out stronger after this crisis. We can redesign it with equity, to make sure every child is well-served, families have peace of mind and educators get paid a living wage. It will not be easy. It will take significant investment and political will. But it is the right thing to do if we believe in the future of our community.”

Thank you, Mayor Walsh, for investing in early education and care – and for leaving marching orders that we hope local, state, and federal officials will follow.