A Massachusetts child tax credit would relieve families
“Families face tough times as child tax credit ends” (Page A1, Jan. 24) exposes the heartbreaking reality of working-class families with young kids. Families depend on multiple forms of child care to get by, and 1 in 4 families used the federal advance Child Tax Credit payments to pay for child care expenses. Our child care system needs systemic change, but right now families need immediate relief to offset the high cost of raising kids, including child care. Local leaders should step up and utilize American Rescue Plan funding to establish a Massachusetts child tax credit to alleviate the abrupt end of the federal credit.
Lindsay McCluskey
Malden
The writer is a senior strategist at Community Labor United for Care That Works, a coalition of nonprofit community organizations and labor unions that advocates for child care across Massachusetts.
