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Board approves current C3 grant formula after public comment; requires attestation and sets workforce spending expectation
Summary
The Department of Early Education and Care board approved the department’s existing Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) allocation formula for the current fiscal year, following a 30-day public comment period and public hearing.
The Department of Early Education and Care board voted to approve the department’s proposed Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) formula for the current fiscal year and authorized the commissioner to adopt the final formula following required public comment and hearing processes.
Staff told the board they held a 30-day public comment period and a virtual public hearing and received 221 public comments, including 31 spoken comments at the hearing. According to staff summaries, roughly 75% of commenters urged the department to maintain the current formula for stability; commenters also raised issues about the formula’s equity adjustment, childcare financial assistance (CCFA) access, and how school-year programs are treated in enrollment calculations.
The agency said it recommended keeping the existing formula for an additional year to provide stability because the formula has been in effect only one year and the program has undergone multiple changes in recent years. Commissioners and staff described additional implementation elements for FY26 tied to that adoption:
- Grant recalculation: November grant applications will reset monthly awards for the following 12 months starting Nov. 1, 2025, based on updated application information and umbrella forms for center-based programs.
- CCFA attestation: Programs will be required, as part of the application, to attest they will demonstrate willingness to enroll children receiving childcare financial assistance; the department will publicly list programs that attest and coordinate with family-access partners and CCR&R agencies to follow up on barriers to CCFA enrollment.
- Workforce expenditure expectation: For center-based programs, the department will introduce an expectation that 50% of C3 funds be applied to workforce expenditures in FY26 (salaries, benefits, one-time stipends/bonuses, professional development, etc.). Staff said most programs already meet that benchmark but that about 500 programs (about 20% of centers; the department said there are about 3,000 centers overall) reported previously spending less than 50% on workforce, and those programs will be offered technical assistance. Staff said enforcement mechanisms will be developed for FY27 after the department collects FY26 expenditure data.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the equity adjustment (which weighs CCFA participation and community need tiers), how CCFA access and frozen vouchers affect program ability to meet equity incentives, and how school-year programs’ summer enrollment differences are handled in the formula. Staff said they will continue analyzing comments and will return with changes if needed for FY27, noting possible constraints if funding levels differ.
A motion to approve the proposed C3 formula and authorize the commissioner to adopt the final formula was moved and seconded; the motion passed.
