Daycares United is a group of childcare centers in Massachusetts that are petitioning local and state authorities on the behalf of the daycare industry. Join us in our effort to support our industry!
Join Your Name to the Letter
About Us
Resources
Contact Us
Daycares United
Governor Baker,
I am writing you on behalf of daycare owners and early childhood center directors, highly concerned about the families and neighborhoods in which we serve. We provide care for the youngest members of our communities, allowing parents to have a safe and secure environment for their children, and enabling them to function as working members in our economy. We meet a crucial need of first responders in the battle against COVID-19, allowing medical personnel, grocery workers, police, and mail carriers to continue to fulfill their essential services, whilst having the needs of their children provided for. Our childcare centers are in crisis, and we need your help.
Eight weeks ago, many of us were preparing spring curriculums and gardening projects, however within a few short days, everything had changed and we entered a fight for survival. On April 1st, revenues took a nosedive or disappeared entirely as our justification for providing services to our families was gone. In the anticipation of a 2-week closure, the majority of us continued to pay our staff full wages in the hopes of re-opening soon.
As things continued to take a darker turn, and faced with an indefinite closure, our centers struggle with the inability to produce revenue. 60-80% of standard costs in the childcare industry go towards making payroll and rent. For those few of us who were able to secure PPP funds, we’ve grasped a lifeline, but the majority who did not fear the death kneel over a business that we’ve scrapped and saved to build, having put in years of toil and risk to survive, only to find it dissipating in front of our eyes while we watch it fall away.
We are proud of the leadership that you have shown as our Governor. However, we need your assistance. With over 2,300 licensed childcare centers in the state of Massachusetts, we are unable to operate. For those of us who operate emergency care facilities, we are extremely grateful for the state grant which has been provided, however, for many of us it has resulted in further financial loss, as the grant is not enough to cover the full payroll to provide care to emergency care providers, not to speak of rent, utilities, and other infrastructure costs.
We are asking for the following ways to help us:
-Provide a seat at the table for early childhood centers in the
Reopening Committee
-Enact a tax reimbursement for commercial landlords to abate rent for 90 days or a state subsidy to landlords to cover rent, and a mandated rent moratorium for all childcare centers throughout the state.
-Establish a grant program to sustain our industry and cover our liabilities
-Authorize a formal reopening schedule for childcare centers on a full or partial day basis.
-Release funds to childcare centers from the early childhood fund
which was received by the state of Massachusetts
Daycares and early childhood centers provide a needed service to our community, not only to offer quality educational services to the most impressionable among us, but to provide a means and opportunity for parents to work. Our caregivers operate in this field out of a sheer love for the children they come in contact with every day. However, childcare centers are in crisis, and under threat of closing permanently throughout our state. We need your help so that when we make the inevitable transition back into the new normal, the childcare centers in our communities are still around to provide services. We will continue to serve our communities, and we ask for your help now in our time of need.
Christopher Vuk – Rock and Roll Daycare
Karen LaFrance – Kiddie Academy® of Framingham
Jennifer Silva – Shrewsbury KinderCare
Sijia Wang – Panda Bilingual Daycare
Heather Evans – Up and Up Play Academy
Kimberley Lannin – Inch by Inch Child Care
Jeffrey May – Precious Ones Child Care Center and Preschool
Tracy Hatfield – Curious Kids Childcare
Christy Higgins – Little Ones Child Care
Jatinder Kaur – Little Star Child Care Center
Jason Robertson – The Arbors Kids
Cheri J. Curran – World of Learning Children’s Center
Anita Martignetti Sassi – Launch & Learn EduCare Center
Eileen Rakhunov – A to Z Child Care and Preschool, Inc.
Liz Molloy – Our Redeemer Child Care Center
Rebecca DesJardins – Super Stars Learning Center
Bob Doiron – Growing Room Child Development Center of Berlin
Tonya Stump – Little Stars Learning Center
Emma LaVecchia – Pine Village Preschool
Felsy Palma – Little Nest Red and Blue Child Care
Chhimi Gurung and Tenzin Norgay – Diki Shining Star
Bobbi Rougeau – Alphabet Soup Childcare Center
Nicole Pierce – Loves Learning Childcare Center
Christy Higgins – Little One’s Child of Sterling
Jennifer Dolan – Little Angels Academy Dracut
Stephen Markarian – Caterpillar Clubhouse Childcare & Preschool
Karen Beswick – Shannah Montessori School
Cherylanne Walters – Little Flyers Learning Center
Linda Hassapis – Peabody Magical Beginnings
Linda Silvio – Adventures Preschool
Hala Nasif – Twinkle Little Star
Michelle Kayyal – Stars of Tomorrow Early Learning Center
Felsy Palma – LittleNest Red & Blue
Vicki Leblanc – Piccolo Mondo
Summer Martins – ABC Learning Childcare
Fred Lee – The Goddard School
Erin Gannon – Kiddie Academy of Stoughton
Liane Caples – Creative Minds Early Learning Centers
Wayne Perkins – Creative Corner School
Tanya Donahue – Lil’ Munchkins Child Care & Preschool
Todd Curlett – Cedar Street Kids Club & Ashland Early Education
Daniela Santos – Greater Visions Children’s Center
Rebecca Jardin – Loves Learning
Stacey Cook – Majestic Harbor Childcare Centers
Tracey Nardone – Early Childhood Preschool & Learning Center
David Morris – Smart Lunches
Mara and Daniel Coelho -Tree House Academy
Anna Nativ – The Wonder Years Learning Center
Colleen Maloney-Benedix – Puddle Duck Day Care Inc
Amy Conant-Greene – Country Kids Child Care LLC
Tracy Lo – My Little Best Friends
Brid Martin – Pine Village Preschool
Etty Brown – Etty’s Early Child Development Inc
Teresa Greeberg & Paolo Simmons – Early Risers
Jordan Bleicher & Dahrika Guerette – Rock & Roll Daycare East Cambridge
Hilda Torres – My Little Best Friends Early Learning Center
Laura Harrington – Discovery Village Child Care Center, Inc.
Linda Hassapis – Magical Beginnings
Jessica – Little Discoveries
Brenda McClay – Bright Ideas Childcare
Danielle Langer – Little Hands Academy
Heidi Pelletier – Wee Folk Farm LLC
Elizabeth Noguera – Elizabeth’s Daycare And Preschool Center
Michelle Packard – The Children’s Village Inc.
Olga Holly – Three Apples Montessori School, Northborough
Susan Dunn – Early Childhood School of Georgetown
Erin Bradley
Tina Morris – Lynnfield Children’s Center
Olivia Wise – Discovery Village Child Care Center
Amy Phillips – The Learning Child Home Care
Margaret Sukiennik – Sunny Bear Academy
Julie Brearley – Julie’s Daycare
Fiona Keating – AlphaTots Family Daycare
Julie Gagnon – Little Ones Child Care
Amita Mehta – Safarikid
Lisa Cura – Little One’s of Sterling
Kelly Hiraldo – Angela’s Preschool and Daycare LLC
Yulma Jimenez – Discovery Village
Joshua Weinberg – Superstars Learning Center
Andrew Kessler – Country Kids
Alayna Paquin – Little One Child Care
Michelle Davis – Michelle’s Little Treasures
Tracy Yurewicz – Whispering Pines Family Childcare
Jennifer Lewis
Jessica Haley
Shannon Hanifin and Angela Biron – Little Trails Learning Center
Kimberly Brouthers – Little Doodles Daycare
Lisa Stevenson – Poppets Early Learners Childcare
Deborah Halcott – Deborah Halcott Family Daycare
Peggy Kuhs – Pine Village Preschool
Christine Tedesco – Chris’ Family Day Care
Heather Baranick
Cerissa Ruggiero – Rising Star Preschool, LLC
Maureen Myers – Little Voices
Jennifer Quinn – Sunshine Country Day School
Joelle Lydon – Family Child Care
Sara Salzberg
Maureen Raymond
Mary Pat
Susan Jensen
Susana Maciel
Cheryl Fritts – Comfort of Home Daycare
Laura Hough – Little Voice ECE
Heidi Sopp – Garden City Children’s Center of Beverly
Jennifer Benoit – Small Wonders Childcare and Preschool
Heather McDevitt – Brown Bear Academy
Sandra Smith – Happy Day Child Care Center
Emily Vieira – Mill Brook Country Day School Inc
Ashley Our – Three Harbors Preschool
Ginny Azzolino – KidstopE.C.Ctr.
Allyssa Crawford – The Barnyard of School of Mansfield
Mary Grimmer Little – Treasures Schoolhouse
Krista Landsman – Luminous Learners
Holly Sheuls – Kidbridge Learning Center
Michelle Martin
Susan Leger-Ferraro – Imagine That
Debbi Fendell – Gan Aliyah Preschool
Amy Fowler – Cherubs Child Development Center
Kim Wilcox – Family Childcare
Kennedy Darcy – The Magical Years Early Learning Center, Inc.
Steven Freitas – CHAPS Inc.
Cynthia Prete – Early Minds Child Care, Inc.
Julie Doyle
Angela Arsenault – The Children of Tomorrow Inc.
Sean Higgins – Little Ones Child Care
Diane Stefaniak
Sherri Patrie – Abundant Life
Robin Damas – Abundant Life Christian School and Learning Center
Jessica Scanzillo – Little Steps Learning Center, LLC
Michael Leonard – Easel
Heidi Sopp – Garden City Children’s Center
Ruth Januario – Children’s Paradise, Inc
Robin McLaughlin – Little Treasures Schoolhouse
Michael Gustafson – Atlas Academy
Charlie Marcotty & Marcy Smith Lee – First Circle Learning Centers
Linda Russo – Creative Learning Center
Monica Lanziero – World of Wonder Pre-School
Ashley Routhier – The Learning Ladder Preschool
Jake Hikk – Treetops Montessori, Hillcrest Montessori
Donna Riley – Mrs. Murray’s Nursery School
Sherri DeLucca – Pitter Patter Academy
Margie Gibson – Reading Baptist Day School
Jaceolyn Norton – Framingham Centre Nursery School
Tina Holland – Tinas Little Angels
Jessica Teixeira – Imagination Station
Rosa Cabral – Children’s Paradise Inc
Linda Najarian – Dove’s Nest DayCare
Catherine Ham – Little Wonders
Michelle Packard – The Children’s Village Inc.
Melissa Dones – The Carousel of Learning
Jamie Torelli – Shining Stars Learning Center
Deborah Dobens – YMCA
Lisa Adams – StoryTree
Tina Cerulo – Kiddie Academy of Burlington
Jason Silver – Small World Preschool