RECAP of the June 11, 2025, EEC Board Meeting: Updates on the State Budget, C3, and Residential Regulations

Written By Annamaria Orlandi

At Neighborhood Villages, we prioritize keeping up with the policy landscape in the early education and care field, both across the country and in Massachusetts. That includes tuning-in to the monthly meetings of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care (“EEC Board”), to stay apprised of updates and to identify opportunities for how we can work with government and other stakeholders to improve our early education and care system.

The primary topics of this month’s Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) Board meeting were updates on: (1) the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 State Budget, (2) the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) program, and (3) the Residential Regulations.

For additional detail on any of the meeting topics, view the slides here or watch the recording on YouTube. 

Here’s what you need to know…


If You Are a Provider:

  1. Commissioner Amy Kershaw announced and shared gratitude to the legislature for taking action on the FY25 supplemental budget providing EEC almost $190 million to finish out the FY25 year. Payments to Child Care and Financial Assistance program (CCFA) providers will not be delayed for services provided in May or for the remainder of FY25 (through June 30, 2025). 

  2. EEC staff provided an update on C3. EEC is planning to address the new statutory requirements by adjusting the C3 application so that providers would have to confirm they are willing to enroll children receiving CCFA. Also, they are planning to require that center-based programs invest at least 50% of C3 funds in their workforce as this is a primary goal of the funding. The intention is to make sure the money is making it to staff. As the program grows, EEC wants there to be salary increases for staff. 

EEC is also considering a variety of formula adjustments, which Massachusetts law requires EEC to formally establish, send out for public comment, and have the Board adopt. The proposed adjustments include the following:

  • In cities and municipalities with a majority of programs defined as low opportunity (according to COI), include all programs in those communities in the tier one equity adjustment;

  • Recognizing and integrating other scholarship assistance outside of CCFA in the equity adjustment;

  • Changes that will result in greater variation in adjustments within Tier 2 so that the adjustment isn’t so broad that a provider serving 1 child with CCFA and another that has 24% of their student population that has CCFA receive the same adjustment;

  • Revisiting the CEO compensation ratio as it sets a benchmark that prevents some large programs from incentives to serve low-income families by restricting access to equity adjustments; and

  • More attention to diverse program models such as out-of-school time programs and additional staffing to address and recognize behavioral and special needs.

In the spring and summer, EEC will continue to review the formula and feedback from the field and bring any proposed changes to the Board. In the fall, EEC will hold a public comment period where they will make public the proposed changes and give the public an opportunity to provide feedback on them. EEC will then finalize any potential program changes for Board consideration and vote. Upon approval from the Board, EEC will update the recertification process to reflect any Board action.

3. EEC staff provided an update on the residential regulations. EEC oversees the licensing of residential programs. The regulations discussed govern residential places where children sleep and group homes. These regulations were last updated in 1995. EEC shared their goals for the revisions and the key areas of focus. The key areas of focus include:

    • Use of surveillance cameras

    • Public posting and transparency

    • Updates to the “Behavior support” section

    • Minimum hiring requirements

    • Enhanced abuse and neglect requirements

    • Minimum initial and ongoing training requirements

    • Updates to overall language throughout the regulations

    • Work towards more accessible regulations

    • Addition of requirements for: LGBTQIA+, enhanced family engagement, and trauma informed and responsive care

    • Continuous Quality Improvement and Accountability

The revision process began in 2021, and EEC anticipates the regulations becoming effective in the fall or winter of 2026. Throughout the process they have been trying to build trust with children and families. They are working with various state agency partners, internal work groups, residential providers, and advocacy and trade groups throughout the process. They are looking into tapping into youth boards and organizations that are already in place rather than starting from scratch. They plan to do training for the community and providers. Lastly, they are planning to have a public comment period in the fall for 90 days so the public can provide feedback on the regulations.


If You are an Early Childhood Educator:

  1. Commissioner Kershaw announced that the EEC scholarship program has launched on their website. You can learn more about it here.


If You are Parent/Guardian or Child Care Advocate:

  1. EEC staff gave an update on the FY26 state budget. The Governor, House of Representatives, and Senate have released their proposals. EEC briefly reviewed the three proposals (see images below), and discussed the areas of disagreement between the House and Senate proposals which will be discussed by the conference committee. These areas include: 

    • EEC administration

    • Quality Improvement

    • Head Start

    • Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI) 

    • Career Pathways

    • Reach Out and Read 

    • Income eligibility access for CCFA’s waitlist

EEC staff also discussed the supplemental budget. The Governor proposed $150 million to support capacity building and workforce development, family access and affordability, implementation of the Early Education and Care Task Force recommendations, and CPPI. The House proposed: 

  • $20 million for capacity building and workforce development, family access and affordability, implementation of the Early Education and Care Task Force recommendations, and CPPI;

  • $20 million for CCFA reimbursement rate increases in FY26;

  • $8 million for CCFA access for staff working in early education and care;

  • $7.5 million for loan repayment for staff working in early education and care;

  • $3.8 million for local child care and out-of-school-time programs to support capital and programmatic improvements; and

  • Established the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Massachusetts.

The Senate proposed $2.6 million for local child care and out-of-school-time programs to support capital and programmatic improvements.

2. EEC staff reviewed the feedback they received during the public comment period and the proposed changes to the CCFA regulations. The Board voted to approve the changes. The changes to the regulations are a necessary precursor to the implementation of policy updates to CCFA, and follow codification of CCFA into state law by the Legislature’s FY25 budget. Most of the language in the budget represents changes already underway; however, they must be made official through the following regulatory updates:

    • Expand eligibility for CCFA to 85% State Median Income (SMI) for all;

    • Codify existing priority access to CCFA, including early childhood educators;

    • Exclude CCFA from “income” counted as part of other public benefits programs received by families; and

    • Engage in continuous improvement of CCFA processes for families and other parties through annual review of the program.

The approved changes will be effective January 1, 2026.


The next EEC Board meeting will be on September 10, 2025.

Annamaria Orlandi
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