Budget season is over! On Independence Day, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) state budget. This $60.9 billion plan "is fiscally responsible, lowers costs, protects essential care and services, and moves the Massachusetts economy forward," according to Healey.
"We are continuing to lead and do what we know works – focusing on lowering costs, protecting essential care and services, and moving our economy forward by investing in housing, transportation, and our schools," Healey says.
Massachusetts's FY26 budget is a significant achievement for legislators, who did their best to preserve early education and care providers' funding to serve families across the Commonwealth.
Many early education and care providers in Worcester continue to struggle financially, and the budget provides them with little to no financial relief. At the same time, accessibility to high quality early education and care remains an issue for most families in Worcester.
The lack of budget funding for early education and care has a ripple effect with long-lasting implications on the families and children who benefit from high quality services and programs. If left unaddressed, early education and care providers, families, and children statewide will continue to suffer the consequences.
We must act now to build on our efforts to advocate for funding for early education and care providers, families, and children and encourage more community members than ever before to get involved.
Read on to learn about the budget and why plenty of work lies ahead for early education and care providers and families in Worcester to ensure that they receive the financial support they need for young children to thrive.
C3 Grant Funding Remains the Same
The FY26 budget includes $475 million of funding for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants for early education and care providers. This is the same level of funding for C3 grants as the FY25 and FY24 state budgets.
C3 grants were developed during the pandemic to stabilize funding in childcare. Since that time, early education and care providers have used C3 grant funding to cover a wide range of operating costs, including:
- Staff salaries
- Mortgage and rent payments
- Workforce expenses
C3 grant funding has remained the same over the past two fiscal years. This is in spite of the fact that operating costs for early education and care providers continue to rise in the Commonwealth and nationally.
Early education and care providers that receive C3 grant funds will continue to benefit from this bedrock funding. Yet, there's only so much funding to go around. As the number of providers in need of C3 grant funding increases, the amount each one receives will likely shrink.
Child Care Vouchers Remain Frozen
The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) provides funding to child care resource and referral agencies (CCR&R). These agencies teach families about the cost, quality, and availability of early education and out-of-school-time care. They also refer families to early education and care providers tailored to their specific needs, such as their location or the hours they require supplemental care for their children.
CCR&Rs also manage state-subsidized child care vouchers that help low-income families pay for childcare. These vouchers give low-income families greater access to high quality services and programs for their children. They are an important tool to help families manage the cost of care. Unfortunately, the FY26 budget doesn't include additional funding to increase the number of child care vouchers.
Currently, there are more than 1,400 children on the wait list for child care vouchers, and this list continues to grow. This means Worcester families in need of these vouchers are stuck on the waitlist for another year.
What's the ripple impact? Young children miss out on quality early learning experiences in their formative years; parents' ability to work is constrained, as many are underemployed as they grapple with care for their children; our economy takes a hit too as businesses struggle to hire employees.
What Does the FY26 Budget Mean for Early Education and Care Providers and Families in Worcester?
The FY26 budget represents a milestone for the Commonwealth, which had not had a budget in place before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year since 2010. Early education and care receives $1.7 billion in funding, up from $1.55 billion in FY25. Additionally, C3 grants are level-funded.
Early education and care providers and families in Worcester have done a lot to advocate for funding. Keep it up! What we invest in today has long-lasting effects on children.
The biggest gap is that the budget doesn't include additional funding for child care vouchers, and there's a long wait list for them that's only growing. We must continue to elevate children's needs. Children simply can't wait to have access to early education and care, and families need a helping hand.
How Can You Help Early Education and Care Providers and Families in Worcester Get More Money?
Advocate for funding for early education and care providers and families in Worcester every day - at meetings, at candidate forums, or by starting a conversation with a colleague. When you do, you help these providers and families get critical funding that they can use to provide children with high quality services and programs.
Here are some of the things you can do to get started:
- Join us in thanking our amazing Worcester delegation for continuing to show up for our young children. Express your gratitude and appreciation by calling, emailing, or writing a letter to your local legislator. Use this Find My Legislator tool to find out who you should contact. Next, you can explain why they should continue to support funding initiatives for early education and care providers and families.
- Teach community members about the shortage of child care vouchers and its impact on low-income families. Encourage local municipal leaders to create a fund to provide financial assistance to those waiting for vouchers and push for more funding.
- Visit the Strategies for Children (SFC) state budget webpage. Here, you can learn about the Massachusetts budget process and fiscal year timeline.
- Sign up for SFC's The 9:30 Call. This call takes place Monday through Thursday at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom and features discussions about the state budget and other topics that matter to early education and care providers and families in the Commonwealth
At Edward Street, we proudly support high quality early learning and care. Donate today so children, families, and businesses can thrive. In addition, read our blog and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.