The workforce behind the workforce

Also: Boston calls off O'Bryant move; how to catch the April solar ecllipse [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 28, 2024 ☔ Rainy and windy, with a high of 59. Good Morning Boston, While you can leave the winter puffer at home, you might want to grab a rain jacket — and charge your phone.[Eversource]( and [National Grid]( are warning about the potential for power outages from today's storm, with [wind gusts up to 50 mph]( expected across the region. Now, to the news: - "The workforce behind the workforce": Everyone knows [how prohibitively expensive child care is in Massachusetts](. But as WBUR's Max Larkin reports, [a new study]( shows the sector has another growing problem: Relatively few young people want to enter the field. Max writes that the findings — presented yesterday at The Boston Foundation as part of a joint effort by the city's Office of Early Childhood and several nonprofits — paint a picture of "an early education ecosystem that is perilously dependent on underpaid, overworked and aging educators." State officials say that's a problem for Massachusetts' competitiveness. So, what can be done? Here are the study's four recommendations: - More (guaranteed) long-term money: Child care workers earn less than $40,000 a year on average, according to the report. While Gov. Maura Healey's administration has worked to increase wages through state "C3" grants in the budget, uncertainty about the annual renewal of this funding by state lawmakers makes it difficult for centers to make long-term investments in wages. The report suggests codifying that money into law and increasing it over time. - Defining the career path of an early educator: According to the report, a primary reason many leave the field is because they see limited opportunities to advance in their role. The recommendation: More investment at the city and state level to support center-based and family care workers who want to pursue higher education or apprenticeships, with the goal of becoming credentialed educators, administrators or center directors. - More data: The report also calls on the state's Department of Early Education and Care to collect "deeper educator-level data via a state-wide registry" to better understand the demographics and experiences of child care workers over time. - More help: While the report says local child care center workers are "fortunate" to have city and state governments making significant investments to shore up the sector, it also finds that more federal funding is "imperative" to support long-term living wages. - Just in: Meanwhile, Boston officials are scrapping plans to move the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science from Roxbury to West Roxbury, following pushback from some parents and educators. Max has [more here on the surprise development]( which will keep the O'Bryant school in its current location for the immediate future. - Go deeper: Mayor Michelle Wu and others had argued the O’Bryant school is being held back by the small size of its current building in the Madison Park complex and that the [larger West Roxbury facility]( would allow it to expand by adding programs. However, [many parents expressed concern about the longer commutes and other impacts]( of moving the diverse school seven miles away to a majority-white neighborhood. - Head ups: Avoid driving through the Mass and Cass area this morning, if possible. Boston police have [shut down traffic in both directions]( near Melnea Cass Boulevard and Hampden Street, as they investigate a fatal crash at the intersection. - The fallout continues: Milton is now [officially facing a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell]( over the town's noncompliance with the MBTA Communities law. Campbell is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to force Milton to comply with the law, which requires cities and towns to zone for multi-family housing near MBTA stops. - Campbell said she hopes the lawsuit sends a message, as other towns, [like Wrentham]( consider following Milton's example. - Blooper Tuesday: Voters in Connecticut's biggest city once again trudged back the polls yesterday for a do-over in their messy, marred mayoral election. However, the results were the same: Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim [defeated fellow Democrat John Gomes](. - The do-over election marked the fourth straight time Ganim beat Gomes in the race — including the September primary that was voided due to ballot-stuffing allegations, a nullified general election in November and a rerun primary last month. P.S.— Thank you to everyone who kindly (and often cleverly) replied to yesterday's newsletter to point out that we accidentally wrote "proposition" rather than "preposition" in our blurb about [Merriam-Webster's recent controversial grammar declaration](. While we do our best to avoid typos, it was — as one reader wrote — something "to be amused by." Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Boston city councilors kick off Dominican Independence Day breakfast, celebrating their rise in local politics]( For Councilor Julia Mejia, the idea was to mark having three Dominican-American council members for the first time, and to model it after Boston's St. Patrick's Day political breakfast, minus the traditional roastings. [Read more.]( [Boston city councilors kick off Dominican Independence Day breakfast, celebrating their rise in local politics]( For Councilor Julia Mejia, the idea was to mark having three Dominican-American council members for the first time, and to model it after Boston's St. Patrick's Day political breakfast, minus the traditional roastings. [Read more.]( [Trump beats Nikki Haley, Joe Biden wins amid protest votes in Michigan primaries]( The contests in Michigan weren't expected to be competitive even though the state will be key in the general election. Biden won despite protests votes over his handling of Israel's war in Gaza. [Read more.]( [Trump beats Nikki Haley, Joe Biden wins amid protest votes in Michigan primaries]( The contests in Michigan weren't expected to be competitive even though the state will be key in the general election. Biden won despite protests votes over his handling of Israel's war in Gaza. [Read more.]( [Mass. man sues state for $1M after serving 27 years in prison for a case that was later thrown out]( A Massachusetts man who spent nearly three decades in prison on a murder conviction that was thrown out by the courts is suing the state for $1 million, the maximum allowed by state law. His lawyer said he was wrongfully imprisoned by officers known to the Boston Police Department to be corrupt. [Read more.]( [Mass. man sues state for $1M after serving 27 years in prison for a case that was later thrown out]( A Massachusetts man who spent nearly three decades in prison on a murder conviction that was thrown out by the courts is suing the state for $1 million, the maximum allowed by state law. His lawyer said he was wrongfully imprisoned by officers known to the Boston Police Department to be corrupt. [Read more.]( [31 right whales spotted feeding in shipping lane off Massachusetts]( It's not unusual to see right whales in the waters off Massachusetts at this time of year, but the number of whales feeding on the surface of the water is unusual. Climate change could be a cause of whales feeding in unexpected places. [Read more.]( [31 right whales spotted feeding in shipping lane off Massachusetts]( It's not unusual to see right whales in the waters off Massachusetts at this time of year, but the number of whales feeding on the surface of the water is unusual. Climate change could be a cause of whales feeding in unexpected places. [Read more.]( [Norovirus cases tick up in the Northeast]( Norovirus, often called the stomach bug, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. A spokesperson for the state health department recommends that people stay home when they are sick and wash their hands well with soap and water to help reduce spread. [Read more.]( [Norovirus cases tick up in the Northeast]( Norovirus, often called the stomach bug, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. A spokesperson for the state health department recommends that people stay home when they are sick and wash their hands well with soap and water to help reduce spread. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Kittery, Maine, has approved a plan to [demolish some of the town's famous outlet malls]( to make room for a new hotel and over 100 apartments. The town has been exploring the possibility of redeveloping under-utilized outlets for several years, particularly as some stores began to leave. - Rick Abath, the Gardner Museum night watchman who infamously opened the door for the thieves who carried out the 1990 heist — and always maintained he played no role in the theft — has [died at the age of 57](. - Get your headphones: Brookline-bred saxophonist Grace Kelly is releasing an album of tracks from cinema classics, backed by a large string ensemble. You can listen to the exclusive song premiere of "True Love" — an updated arrangement from the 1956 film "High Society" starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly (the actress) — on [our website](. - The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races in northern Maine [have been canceled this year]( due to — surprise — a lack of snow. The town hosting the race usually gets more than 80 inches of snow by this time of the season, but has only had 46.8 inches so far.  What We're Reading 📚 - I got to see the IRS’s free tax-filing software in action. Here’s what I learned. ([Vox]( - For some African immigrants in Maine, navigating racial identity in the US is complicated ([Maine Public]( - Inside the Internal Debates of a Hospital Abortion Committee ([ProPublica](  🔎 Field Guide To Boston [A New Englanders' guide to catching the April solar eclipse]( Come April, parts of New England will go dark midday as the region experiences a total solar eclipse. Here’s what you need to know. [Read more.]( [A New Englanders' guide to catching the April solar eclipse]( Come April, parts of New England will go dark midday as the region experiences a total solar eclipse. Here’s what you need to know. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [breaks down the situation inside Brockton High School]( and what bringing in the National Guard could mean. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["The most New England sign ever made."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.