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Massachusetts celebrates 20 years of the Department of Early Education and Care; leaders cite gains in access and programming
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Summary
Leaders, state lawmakers and providers marked the Department of Early Education and Care’s 20th anniversary, praising expanded access — including nearly 20,000 new child-care seats — and highlighting pre-K and partnership initiatives as priorities for the department’s next two decades.
State and local leaders on Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), praising two decades of efforts to expand access to child care, support educators and launch programs aimed at improving early learning outcomes.
At a virtual celebration, speakers credited EEC with helping to make Massachusetts “the number 1 state to raise a family” and said the state has added nearly 20,000 child-care seats since the department’s founding. Commissioner Amy Kershaw introduced the event and Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler, who said, "I'm a big believer in the research," describing evidence that early education experiences matter for children’s long-term learning and for families.
The event drew elected officials and representatives of providers and advocacy organizations. State Senator Jason Lewis, chair of the joint committee on education, recalled that the legislature created EEC in 2005 and said Massachusetts was among the first states to establish a dedicated early education agency. "We were one of the first states to see the importance of having high-quality, affordable, accessible early education and child care," he said.
Providers highlighted how EEC-backed grants and partnerships have supported facilities and programming. Kelly Brown, chief operating officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield, credited an EEOST grant and EEC support for enabling the organization to provide a new building for programs. A representative from HTS Head Start sent a regional shoutout to the Western Massachusetts office and the Head Start State Collaboration office.
Sharon Scott Chandler, president and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development, noted her prior service on the EEC board and described collaboration between Head Start, resource-and-referral agencies and the department as central to expanding access. Noe Ortega, commissioner of the Department of Higher Education, said the foundation laid in early learning benefits students who later enroll on college campuses.
Speakers highlighted current initiatives the department and partners are advancing, including pre-K programming and the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership initiative, and stressed that growing legislative and community recognition of early education’s importance has accelerated change.
The celebration closed with Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll wishing EEC a happy birthday and urging continued partnership to make early education more affordable and widely available. Officials said they look forward to ongoing work to strengthen the pipeline of educators and expand opportunities for families across the commonwealth.
