Policy Pulse #25
Thank you for being a loyal reader of the Neighborhood Villages Policy Pulse! As we continuously work to improve the experience of reading the Policy Pulse, you may notice some changes. For example, this issue is coming to you at the beginning of the month. We will give you information about where to find the EEC Board meeting each month, but will not provide a comprehensive recap. We encourage you to engage with the information and let us know if you have questions or ideas about how to improve the content. Most of what you will see in this issue are federal and state policy updates. Let’s dive in!
What To Know
The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Held its September Board Meeting
The Board of Massachusetts’ Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) most recently met on September 9, 2026. Important decisions about the early education and care sector are made at these monthly meetings. Some highlights from the September board meeting are:
A review of the final Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Early Education and Care Budget and an announcement that funding from the FY2026 Fair Share Supplemental Budget will open up access to approximately 2,000 children for the income eligible program;
The Board voted to move funding from the EEC’s administrative line item to supplement the Career Pathways and ECE Scholarship programs;
A recap of the Employer Child Care Innovation Fund. Four grantees were selected for the program: Berkshire United Way, The Community Group, Seaport Orthodontics, and United Way North Central MA; and
An update on the Commonwealth Cares for Children program (see more below).
You can find links to the slide deck and a recording of the meeting here.
The next Board meeting will take place on October 14.
Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Program Updates
At the September 9 EEC Board meeting, EEC shared that C3 was level funded in the FY2027 budget and at this time they are not recommending any formula changes to the program but they will be instituting administrative changes that will become effective on November 1, 2026. The administrative changes include the following:
Ensure that only programs that are operating are receiving C3 by introducing a change that programs must be open for at least 10 days in a month and serving children in order to receive funding;
Make sure that funding accurately reflects changes in capacity by calculating each month’s enrollment as a percentage of the program’s licensed capacity and then averaging the monthly percentages across the year. This change is only for center based child care centers as Family Child Care Centers have a different calculation; and
Accurately represent the percent of non-Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) scholarship by calculating the percentage of non-CCFA scholarship as a percentage of enrolled children rather than as a percentage of current licensed capacity.
EEC also shared that they recently brought 132 programs into C3 due to attrition of other programs, but still have 800 programs that are unable to participate due to lack of funding. Additionally, starting in October, providers will be able to preview the estimated monthly grant award they will receive upon recertification. The estimate will be based on information the agency currently has. In November, EEC will recalculate the monthly grant awards for the next 12 months.
Federal Budget Appropriations Update
In September, Congress passed a continuing resolution that extends funding levels for the federal government at the levels agreed to in the FY26 budget. This continuing resolution will end on December 11. It is unlikely there will be any action on FY27 bills before the November elections.
Changes to Public Charge Rule Now Effective
The changes to the public charge rule became effective on September 18, 2026. Public charge is part of the test to receive a visa or qualify for a green card in the U.S. through a family member or employer. If an immigration officer believes you are likely, at any time after entry, to become dependent on the government for your basic needs, you can be denied entry into the U.S. This test does not apply to all immigrants, such as U.S. citizens, refugees, asylees, T/U visa (granted to victims of certain crimes) holders, and more. Under the new rule when administering the test, immigration officers can consider the person's use of any “means-tested public benefit.” Examples of “means-tested public benefits” include: Medicaid (MassHealth), SNAP (food stamps), cash benefits, housing vouchers, and more. Benefits that are not “means-tested” include: Medicare, unemployment insurance, Social Security, and more. Although the rule is effective it will not be applied to applications sent before September 18. For more information about the public charge rule, visit the MIRA Coalition’s website here.
The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Updated Its Safe Sleep Policies
On September 9, 2026, EEC released an updated policy for infant sleep safety, which is based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The policy is for all individuals caring for infants younger than 12 months old in licensed and funded child care programs and outlines the Safe Sleep practices that they must follow. In addition, the policy includes training requirements–including that anyone counted in a program’s adult-child ratios must complete all EEC Essentials 2.0 training modules, including Safe Sleep Practices and Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome, as well as the corresponding annual refresher course–and the consequences of non-compliance. The policy goes into effect on November 1, 2026.
Requirements of PROTECT Act Now in Effect
Following Governor Healey’s signing of the PROTECT Act in August of this year, the requirements of the law have been in effect since September 1, 2026. The law applies to licensed and EEC-funded child care programs and group care facilities and is intended to provide protections related to civil law enforcement, including federal civil immigration enforcement, to help ensure that children and families can attend programs without fear of law enforcement using those sites to make immigration arrests. EEC created a webpage with resources for providers, which includes recommendations issued by the Commonwealth for providers of early education and care.
Governor Healey Proposes Additional Funding for EEC in Supplemental Close Out Budget
On September 23, Governor Maura Healey submitted a $2.24 billion supplemental close out budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026. The proposed budget allocates $18.5 million to increase CCFA reimbursement rates for Center-based Child Care and Family Child Care providers, $683,796 for the Career Pathways Program, just over $4.6 million for EEC’s administrative and quality improvement line items, and provides discretion to the Secretary of Administration and Finance to direct up to $50 million to the Early Education and Care Operational Grant Fund.
What To Do
Election Day is November 3
We encourage everyone to vote. You can find information about where to vote here, and information about ballot initiatives (there are 9!) here. While none of the ballot initiatives has direct bearing on early education and care, the implementation of some might have an indirect impact on early education and care.
What’s Next
Join us virtually for Transforming Child Care: Progress and Potential of the Massachusetts 2024 Reforms Two Years Later on Wednesday, October 14 at 11:00am. Register here. We will do a deep dive into the landmark early education and care sector policy reforms passed in 2024, the progress so far, and what more needs to be done.
Neighborhood Villages continues to monitor the impact of the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) operations grants for early education and care programs. Stay tuned for a brief with the latest analysis on the impact of this program.
The EEC Board of Directors will meet again on October 14. The full schedule can be found here, along with the meeting agenda (when available); a livestream of every meeting can be viewed here.