RECAP of the April 8, 2026, EEC Board Meeting: Updates on Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care, Residential Programs Regulations, and the Family Portal.

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 included updates on: (1) Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care, (2) Residential Programs Regulations, and (3) the Family Portal.

For additional details 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 an Early Childhood Educator:

1) Commissioner Amy Kershaw announced that applications for loan repayment and scholarship programs for early education and care staff working in family child care, center-based, out-of-school time, and EEC residential programs are now open. You can find more information about the loan repayment program here and the scholarship program here.

If You are a Parent/Guardian or Child Care Advocate:

1) Commissioner Kershaw and Chair Paul Belsito welcomed Dr. Stephen Zrike Jr., the new Secretary of Education.

2) Commissioner Kershaw announced two personnel promotions. Jackie Foley has been promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff and Eugenia Soiles to the position of Chief of Strategic Partnerships.

3) EEC staff discussed Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care (FFN). FFN care is generally defined as care provided by someone the family knows, like a friend, grandparent, aunt, or neighbor. EEC refers to FFN care as Informal Child Care (ICC), when a relative or non-relative receives payment from EEC through the Child Care Financial Assistance program (CCFA). ICC caregivers and families must be approved by EEC in order to receive CCFA reimbursement payments. If a FFN provider is not receiving CCFA reimbursement, they are outside the purview of EEC. (Most FFN care operates outside of EEC’s purview.) 

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 state budget directed EEC to report on the feasibility of implementing and overseeing an FFN Network. EEC assessed the current landscape for FFN care and how to support this aspect of the EEC sector. EEC hosted focus groups with FFN caregivers and a broad range of partners including the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&R) and Care that Works.

In FY2025, only 595 children received care from an ICC caregiver and a majority, 64%, of those children were school aged. ICC daily rates are significantly lower than those for licensed programs, ranging between $10.40 to $24.57 based on where the care is provided, who provides the care, and the length of the care. Total spending for ICC care represented less than 1% of the total CCFA budget, or approximately $2 million.

EEC staff discussed the following considerations for building an FFN Network:

• Laws and regulations may need to be changed.

• ICC provider reimbursement rates are low and ICCs indicate needing stronger support.

• Additional funding may need to be provided with enhanced oversight and training.

• Families and caregivers should be engaged in the process.

• EEC doesn’t currently have staff capacity dedicated to support ICC providers.

EEC staff emphasized that FFN care is an important type of care and that formalizing it within the state system may, in fact, disrupt it or be in conflict with the unique, informal nature of FFN care. 

EEC’s next steps include the following:

• Continue to work collaboratively with FFN and ICC caregivers to better understand their needs.

• Create a unified application and orientation process with CCR&R networks.

• Expanded consumer education.

• Conduct more FFN/ICC focus groups with families and providers.

• Further explore the ICC CCFA reimbursement rate structure.

• Establish an FFN Advisory Committee with diverse stakeholders.

4) EEC staff provided an update on EEC’s Residential Programs regulation revisions. Residential programs provide group care and housing for children and youth in a facility setting outside of their family home. Many of the children residing at these programs have complex behavioral health and/or social-emotional needs or are otherwise in need of additional complex support.

EEC has been working to revise their residential programs regulations in order to modernize and streamline language, incorporate an evidence-based approach, and enhance clarity. They completed a public comment period and incorporated feedback from commenters into regulations. They will now finalize updated language as well as a training and implementation timeline; provide the Board with a final version of the proposed regulations; and put the regulations before the Board for a vote at the May EEC Board Meeting.

5) EEC staff provided an update on the Family Portal. In creating the family portal, EEC hopes to create a unified experience for families. In May, EEC will launch phase 1 of the family portal, “MyChildCareMA,” which will allow families to apply for Child Care Financial Assistance online. Other features of the system include the ability for families to join the waitlist, upload waitlist application documents, see their waitlist application status, and receive email notifications when action is needed. Family Access Administrators (FAAs) will be able to review and process waitlist applications, determine likely CCFA eligibility, provide families with status updates, send communications, and manage the current waitlist. EEC staff emphasized that the portal will enable EEC to have a true CCFA waitlist that has information on how many eligible families have applied and are on the waitlist. 

The portal will be accessible on mobile devices or standard laptops in various languages. It will replace the current system, “KinderWait,” and be a part of the MyMassGov state services platform. Phase two of the system will launch in summer 2026 and focus on the FAAs. After phase two, EEC will continue to make additional updates to the system on a rolling basis. 

After May 6, 2026, families newly applying for CCFA will be able to apply through the new family portal. For families with technology challenges, FAAs will still be available to help ensure they get the support they need. Families that have previously applied for CCFA will work with FAAs to ensure access to the portal and renew their spot over time. EEC will move information provided by families from the KinderWait system into the new family portal. If a family already has MyMassGov credentials due to receiving services from another agency, they can use those credentials to access the family portal. If not, they can create an account. EEC will provide email and mail communications to families about the portal. 

EEC has provided communications and outreach materials to state and external stakeholders informing them on what to expect and what to inform families. EEC has also been making CCFA policy and procedure changes and will start training FAAs on those changes. MyChildCareMA system training will be provided through self-paced training modules. Also, EEC will provide administrators ongoing support on a weekly basis.

The next EEC Board meeting will be on May 13, 2026.