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DCYF outlines ECAP slot reductions, timing for rate changes and implementation of collective bargaining measures
Summary
Department staff described how recent legislative changes affect ECAP slots, Center base-rate timing, family‑home bargaining implementation and eligibility shifts for Working Connections Child Care.
Department of Children, Youth, and Families staff detailed fiscal changes and implementation timing for several 2025 legislative items affecting early care and education at the provider supports subcommittee meeting.
Why it matters: the changes include reductions to the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECAP), timing adjustments for Working Connections Child Care rate changes, implementation steps for family‑home collective bargaining outcomes, and other budget and policy shifts that affect providers and families.
DCYF Assistant Secretary of Early Learning Nicole Rose and policy adviser Melissa Cheeseman presented highlights and timelines. Rose said the legislature reduced ECAP funding by about 3,000 contracted slots; DCYF informed 46 of 62 ECAP contractors that they were affected. The department said final contracted ECAP slots for fiscal year 2026 were 14,395, down from more than 16,000 in the previous fiscal year.
Rose said some reductions involved exchanges from part‑day to school‑day slots and attention to contractor viability where a small absolute cut produced a large percentage impact. She said DCYF considered 10 designated catchment areas for prioritization because those communities showed disproportionate kindergarten‑readiness gaps and higher eligibility for free and reduced‑price meals.
On Working Connections Child Care rates, Rose said a center base‑rate increase called in law will not take effect until July 1, 2026. She also noted a “rate alignment” step that removes a temporary hold‑harmless provision for a subset of providers; Rose gave an example where some school‑age rates in Regions 1 and 4 fell below the 80th percentile used in prior rate comparisons, and those providers could see a rate decrease.
Rose said the department is making a manual workaround to implement an expired short‑term expansion that had reduced copayments for certain families; the department estimated that of about 2,300 families who had reduced copayments under the temporary expansion, roughly 375 would be over income at reapplication and lose eligibility. She also confirmed expansion for registered apprenticeships ended; the department recorded about 12 families on that pathway when it concluded.
The department also described implementation timing for collective bargaining outcomes for licensed family‑home providers (effective July 1) — measures that include base‑rate increases, grants and health‑care enrollment options — and said it is working on operational details for prospective and enrollment‑based payment changes to be implemented in late summer 2026.
Rose said the department is preparing two decision packages for the next legislative cycle related to the difference between 12‑month eligibility and 12‑month authorization timing and to update the assumptions about expected savings; she said those packages will request technical corrections and updated expected savings amounts so fiscal projections properly reflect implementation timing.
Ending: DCYF asked provider feedback on communications and implementation details and said it will post materials and updates to advisory groups and the agency feedback loop for continued input.
