The Commonwealth has the second most expensive child care market in the United States. Families routinely pay upwards of $20,000 a year for care for their young children. However child care workers make very low wages and are leaving the workforce in droves because they can make more at other jobs. Child care providers are struggling to keep their businesses afloat amidst high costs and labor shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic has made an already very challenging situation worse. The state was facing a large decline in programs in the decade before the pandemic, according to the Massachusetts Department of Early Learning and Care. Now, more facilities and classrooms across the state have closed their doors. Nationally, the industry is operating at only 88 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity but the situation is worse in the Commonwealth, where providers face some of the highest costs in the nation and strict quality and safety standards. The early education and care crisis is having a more severe impact on families of color who've been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. A greater share of Black, Latinx and immigrant families have gotten sick, lost loved ones and experienced job and housing loss than White families. These populations are more likely to be low-wage workers and more likely to be unable to afford high child care costs. They are also more likely to use informal or family child care providers who have suffered closures during the pandemic. This report examines key data on how COVID-19 has impacted the child care system in Massachusetts along with original reporting and interviews. It finds that diverse sectors in the state agree now is the time for greater public investment to stabilize the early education and care system and ensure economic recovery for the Commonwealth.