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State leaders defend expanded child care investments as providers warn wait list remains
Summary
Administration officials and early education advocates outlined the governor's FY26 proposals to maintain Commonwealth Cares for Children, expand preschool partnerships and fund workforce supports, while providers and local officials said thousands of income‑eligible children remain on waiting lists and workforce shortages threaten capacity.
Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler outlined the Healy-Driscoll administration's fiscal year 2026 proposals for early education and child care at a Joint Ways and Means hearing at UMass Amherst, saying the administration will keep Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) funded at $475,000,000 and seek additional supplemental funding for workforce and capacity building.
The administration emphasized access and workforce stability as the central goals for the early‑education portions of the governor's request.
“At the education secretariat, we have five core values that drive how we approach this work,” Secretary Pat Tutwiler said, listing “advance equity and inclusion, maintain a holistic perspective, embrace collaboration, champion innovation, and center fulfillment.” He described the budget as a package that pairs the governor's House 1 proposal with a fair share supplemental filing to expand access, workforce supports and preschool partnerships.
Why this matters: State leaders say the…
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