Lynn City Hall. File Photo
By Leah Dearborn
LYNN — Early educators schooled the public and several local government officials at a roundtable discussion hosted by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
The discussion was the fifth of its kind to take place in the state this year, with previous forums held in Springfield, Worcester, Boston and Lawrence.
Jason A. Stephany, senior director of communications at SEIU Local 509, said increasing wages and minimizing the state’s early child care waitlist are major issues that educators wanted to discuss.
According to 2016 statistics produced by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, 1,217 children are wait listed for affordable state care in the city of Lynn alone.
The state calculates a per-day figure that is paid out to caretakers for every child in their charge, but extra expenses related to equipment, professional development and insurance aren’t factored in, said Stephany.
Felix Martinez, veteran child care provider, said transportation presents another challenge for families and early education workers.
Vouchers provide limited miles, said Martinez, so if a child lives farther away than the number of miles allotted and parents have no transport, that child may be forced to attend day care elsewhere.
Ana Perdomo, an early child care educator from Lynn who has been in the field for 11 years, was at the event to speak about the low wages imposed on child care workers employed by the state.
Perdomo said she receives $44 per day for the care of children 2 or younger, but the amount of money she invests into her business exceeds those wages. Her aspiration is to make a bottom line of $15 per hour.
Kiana Hardnett, the mother of a child Perdomo cares for, attended the discussion to show her support for Perdomo.
“My daughter is 1 and she knows her ABC’s. That’s because of Miss Ana,” said Perdomo, who works 35 hours per week and said she worries about where she’ll find care if Perdomo can’t afford to remain in business.
State Reps. Daniel Cahill and Brendan Crighton attended the Wednesday discussion, as well as Lynn City Councilors Hong Net and Brian LaPierre.
“You deserve to take care of your own children as much as anybody else,” said LaPierre when introducing himself to participants. “It’s time for us to move that ball forward.”