EEC plans unified family portal to replace multiple CCFA tools and collect better data; privacy and dynamic eligibility flagged

The Department of Early Education and Care described plans to replace several fragmented tools with a single family portal to manage the Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) application, statewide wait list and case management. Kristen (family experience product owner) and Jesse Murray (product lead) presented the design and goals for a unified digital experience intended to collect structured data earlier in the process and reduce administrative burden.

Kristen described the current state: “the current state of applying for childcare financial assistance involves multiple tools, and applications,” and said the portal will allow families to make accounts, submit documentation, and be added to a single statewide wait list. The portal is intended to capture structured fields that are currently collected as open notes — including family preference for care and household language — and to reduce duplicate applications and support tickets.

Staff said the portal will be linked to eligibility workflows and to CCFA authorization and placement steps. They said it should improve operational efficiency for both EEC and family access administrators and enable additional features over time, such as search tools for families who do not require financial assistance.

Commission members raised data‑sensitivity concerns. Emily (Commission member) said federal datasets are increasingly feared by immigrant communities and questioned whether participation could fall if families distrust how their data will be used. Mark Riley (Undersecretary, Executive Office of Education) acknowledged the concern and said administration leaders are mindful of data protection across agencies. Harold (Commission member) suggested tracking whether programs have lost staff or participation because of immigration‑related fears.

Kristen and Amy Chekaway said the portal will include translated interfaces at launch (staff noted 7–8 languages planned) and that design work will include user testing to balance proactive verification with opportunities for families to report changes while on the wait list. EEC staff invited ongoing commission input on which additional data elements should be prioritized for collection and for improvements in data quality.