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EEC highlights capital grants, family‑childcare demand and a new emergency fund
Summary
EEC reported heavy demand for capital grants: the family‑childcare grant pilot drew 1,685 applications requesting about $36.6 million; agency staff outlined EEOST and EEC PCG programs, upcoming award timelines, and a new Early Childhood Emergency Fund to help providers recover from fires and floods.
At the board meeting the Department of Early Education and Care described its suite of capital investment programs and the newly created Early Childhood Emergency Fund, reporting strong demand from family child‑care providers and center operators.
Jose Mendez, director of childcare business operations and facilities, said Massachusetts has invested in capital programs since 2013 to improve safety, quality and capacity in licensed programs. He described four current streams funded through the governor’s capital plan and the Fair Share amendment: the Early Education Out of School Time (EEOST) program for nonprofit centers (large and small grants), the EEC Provider Capital Grant (EEC PCG) for for‑profit centers, and the Family Childcare Capital Grant (FCC grant) for licensed family child care. Historically, EEOST awarded about $65 million for 125 projects and impacted more than 13,000 seats in prior cycles, Mendez said.
Family‑childcare demand: EEC said the first pilot round of the FCC grant drew 1,685 applications requesting about $36.6 million in projects while the agency initially committed $2.5 million for the pilot round; many applications were in Spanish. Staff said a second round with roughly $5 million available is planned and urged providers who applied to consider reapplying with updated quotes and invoices because capital prices change.
EEC PCG and EEOST: Mendez said the FY24/EEC PCG process had significantly more applications than available funding and that review is ongoing; EEOST hybrid large‑and‑small grant rules were adopted in FY24 and the board previously approved the hybrid approach.
Emergency fund: EEC also described the new Early Childhood Emergency Fund. Funded by the “ChalkCare” charitable license‑plate program that raises about $100,000 annually, the fund offers up to $8,775 per site (FY25) to help programs respond to fires or floods and minimize care disruptions; EEC awarded about $44,000 to six providers in FY25 for emergency needs.
Why it matters: Capital grants can affect program safety, capacity and educator retention. The large volume of FCC applications indicates strong demand for small‑business supports across the state.
Ending: EEC said grant awards for the initial FCC round should be announced by summer with grantee agreements in place by fall; staff encouraged applicants to update project pricing and noted continued coordination with MassDevelopment and CIF (Community Investment Fund/CDAC).
