EEC proposes keeping C3 formula for FY26, hears widespread concerns about voucher freeze and funding limits

The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) held a public hearing Sept. 9 on the C3 grant formula proposed for fiscal year 2026, during which agency staff proposed maintaining the current formula for one year while collecting public comment and making several programmatic changes.

EEC presenter Jocelyn, an EEC staff member, told attendees the recommendation is to “maintain the current formula in FY26” to provide continuity while the department reviews public feedback and addresses statutory compliance requirements written into recent budget language. Jocelyn said any changes for fiscal 2027 would be developed through an additional public process.

Why this matters: C3 grants support early-education providers’ operating budgets and workforce pay. The program is level-funded in FY26, EEC staff said, meaning the state has the same appropriation as FY25. Many family child-care providers and center operators told EEC that the current combination of a voucher (Child Care Financial Assistance, or CCFA) freeze, formula limits and caps is depressing enrollments, reducing C3 payments for some providers and putting programs at risk.

During the presentation, Jocelyn summarized components of the formula: monthly grant calculations use licensed capacity (with adjustments when enrollment is below 75% for centers or below three children for family child care), a base rate that varies by program type and ages served, and an equity adjustment that considers the number or share of slots filled by CCFA children, Head Start status,…