Why are the tuition costs so high?
Guided by their parent-run boards of directors, the centers invest in recruiting and retaining skilled and experienced personnel. An overwhelming body of evidence connects educated and experienced caregivers, small group sizes and low teacher-child ratios with high-quality early childhood programs. Across the six centers, three-quarters of teachers have BA, MA or higher degrees; salaries are higher than normative given longer teacher tenure; historic turnover is low; many group sizes are smaller than both National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards and Massachusetts regulations; and teacher/child ratio is better than required by both NAEYC standards and Massachusetts regulations. Despite this longstanding commitment to quality and ongoing efforts to recruit and retain the best staff, the child care centers are faced with a national trend toward a shortage of educated and experienced caregivers, and the pressure of maintaining livable salaries, benefits an
