I appreciated that Tanzina Vega’s recent op-ed (“The financial fragility of single parents who need child care,” March 20) shined a spotlight on the unique challenges single parents face when trying to stay in the workforce. Like many, I’ve had to juggle raising my daughter and working a part-time job while attending school full time and working toward a certificate. Paying for child care on top of that is a burden that forces me to make impossible decisions about paying for other basic needs, from groceries to transportation.

Just last month, I spoke in front of lawmakers at the State House about the need to pass the Common Start legislation, which would make child care free for parents who, like me, are living below the poverty line. This bill would allow me to finish my degree faster, secure a better-paying job, and help me work toward becoming financially stable and eventually thrive. It would mean a brighter future for my daughter.

Vega could not be more right that immediate, bold action is needed by the public and private sectors. Child care is a human right, and when we meaningfully support single parents, everyone wins.

Tiffany Jenkins

Hyde Park

The writer participates in an economic mobility coaching program with the Boston-based nonprofit Economic Mobility Pathways and is a member of the Common Start Coalition.

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