Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined progressive allies and squad members U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to call for more federal funding for childcare amid cutbacks by the Trump administration.

Ocasio-Cortez, a New York congresswoman who traveled to Massachusetts this week, appeared Friday alongside Pressley and Wu at Horizons for Homeless Children in Roxbury for a story time classroom visit, roundtable discussion, and media availability, where they questioned the Trump administration’s priorities.

“We know that families are experiencing greater financial hardship and economic anxiety and vulnerabilities each and every day because of the hostilities of this administration that are not focused on the things that matter most, and that is affordability,” Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat, said at the daycare center. “Increasingly, everything is through the roof and that includes the cost of childcare.

“We have an occupant in the Oval Office that says we have to fund a war that we don’t even know why we’re there, but we cannot afford to pay for childcare when that is our most important infrastructure,” Pressley added. “All the data bears out that investment is the greatest return on investment.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in January froze access to certain federal childcare and family assistance funds for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York “following serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs,” the federal agency said in a press release at the time.

Locally, the Massachusetts Head Start Association’s executive director, Michelle Haimowitz, issued a statement earlier this month in response to Trump’s federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 that she said was “making it more difficult for our Head Start programs in Massachusetts by flat-funding Head Start nationally.”

“The federal government’s failure to provide our programs with much-needed funding has led to workforce shortages and difficulties in providing education and services to our students,” Haimowitz said at the time.

Ocasio-Cortez said Friday, “Over the last year, between the president’s efforts on DOGE, cutting services across health care, childcare, education, we see the Department of Education itself under threat by this administration.

Five shops where the experience is the real purchase.

M. Flynn, South End

The perk: Custom fused bracelets

At M. Flynn’s South End shop, buying a bracelet is a little more hands-on than usual—in the best possible way. In just a few minutes, a delicate chain is custom-fit and fused directly onto the wrist, no clasp required. It’s the kind of experience that’s especially fun with a friend (matching bracelets encouraged!) and results in an easy, everyday piece you don’t have to think twice about.

M. Flynn Jewelry, 40 Waltham St, Boston

Boston Ski + Tennis, Newton

The Perk: A ski and snowboard simulator

Missing the slopes already? Head to Boston Ski + Tennis, where the recently launched in-store simulator allows snowboarders and skiers to train and fine-tune their technique without ever leaving the shop. The coaching staff provides guidance to powder hounds of all levels throughout the experience, proving that even in this digital age, nothing beats the expertise of a real person.

Boston Ski + Tennis, 153 Needham St, Newton

Some of Olfactory NYC’s custom fragrances. / Courtesy photo

Olfactory NYC, Back Bay

The Perk: Custom perfume making

At Olfactory NYC, creating a signature scent is part science experiment, part indulgence. Inside the Newbury Street shop, you’ll sample, tweak, and fine-tune notes with help from scent specialists until the fragrance feels unmistakably yours, and head home with a bespoke fragrance.

A Golden Goose artist adds custom sparkle to a pair of kicks. / Courtesy photo

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Golden Goose, Back Bay

The Perk: In-store sneaker customization

Golden Goose’s Co-Creation experience turns sneaker shopping into something far more personal. At the Copley Place boutique, customers can work with an in-house artisan to customize a new pair—adding sketches, crystals, studs, or even personal messages. The result is a one-of-a-kind take on a cult-favorite style.

Earrings by Three Stories Jewelry, which will be on hand for a piercing event at Gretta Luxe this spring. / Courtesy photo

Gretta Luxe, Wellesley

The Perk: In-store events with coveted brands

Here, it’s less about popping in and out, and more about showing up for whatever’s happening next. The designer boutique regularly hosts interactive events that let shoppers hang with reps of their favorite brands. Mark your calendar for May, when Three Stories Jewelry will headline a piercing event.

Police in Boston are searching for a missing 12-year-old girl from Dorchester.

La’Niya Johnson-Skinner was last seen Friday in the area of Mascot Street in Dorchester, police said Thursday.

She is described as a 4’10, 120-pound Black girl with medium brown skin and dark brown hair she wears in a bun, the Boston Police Department said.

When she was last seen, she was wearing a black Nike sweatshirt, a baby blue shirt with a Boston Renaissance Charter Public School logo, black leggings, brown sandals and a pink and black Elite backpack.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 617-343-4712. Anonymous tips can also be left by calling 1-800-494-8477, by texting “TIP” to 27463, or by visiting the Boston Police Department’s website.