Childcare facilities currently licensed for only after- or out-of-school times will be able to provide services during regular schoolday hours this fall under an executive order Gov. Charlie Baker issued Friday.
The order suspends a section of state law that prevents organizations such as YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs and family child care homes from offering care during school hours if they are only licensed for after-school or non-school times, a step that Education Secretary James Peyser said would help working parents access child care for students who are learning remotely.
“We all want our children to get back into school as soon as possible and we applaud the schools and districts that are making the extra effort to bring their students back in some form,” Peyser said in a press release. “At the same time, we know that remote learning will be part of the educational experience for many students this fall, so it’s critical that we enable parents, after-school providers, and community organizations to offer additional childcare options and learning supports when students are unable to attend school in person.”
As part of the executive order, facilities can get temporary license exemptions from their municipalities for caring for school children up to age 14 during remote learning.
The Department of Early Education and Care also announced it would exempt parent cooperative arrangements — scenarios in which a group of parents informally work together to provide supervision for a group of children — from the same section of state law when supervising parents are unpaid.
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