The Department of Early Education and Care said Monday that its monthly C3 grant application will include a new attestation requiring programs to affirm they are willing to enroll children receiving Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA), and that center-based C3 recipients must allocate half of their C3 funds to workforce investments.

Ellen (first name only, role/title not specified) explained that the underlying C3 formula — license capacity adjusted by enrollment, a base rate by program type and age, and an equity adjustment — will not change. But the department will “reset” grant amounts in November based on current program inputs such as average enrollment and the share of children receiving CCFA. “The attestation will appear for all programs each month on the C3 application,” Ellen said, and programs must attest affirmatively to receive C3 funds.

EEC said a program that answers “no” to the attestation will be unenrolled from C3 and will no longer receive C3 funds, though programs may request an administrative review to explain barriers to participation. Ellen said EEC will publish the list of programs that attest publicly on the E2C hub for transparency.

Senior associate commissioner Alicia Saran Wells said the new fund‑use expectation applies only to center‑based programs. “This new C3 grant funds requirement ensures 50% of what is granted is used towards workforce investment,” she said, and clarified that workforce investments include personnel costs (salaries, benefits, stipends), recruitment and retention supports, and professional development to build educator qualifications.

EEC also told providers it is managing access for new entrants because C3 is level‑funded for fiscal year 2026. Ellen stated the program is level‑funded at $475,000,000 for FY26 and that the department will assess each quarter whether funding allows adding new providers; the next assessment of openings for new providers will be at the end of the December quarter. Eugenia reminded attendees that quarterly recertification data (October–December) are due by December 31.

EEC said it will offer technical assistance and trainings in early 2026 to help programs meet the new workforce allocation requirement and recommended programs review all funding streams, document current staff allocations (FTE/hours/location), note funding restrictions, work with leadership and CPAs, and prepare to show allowability in contracts and RFRs.

What happens next: programs should submit the November application as soon as possible to learn the reset grant amount that will apply for the next 12 months; the attestation appears each month on the C3 application. Programs that cannot attest because of a barrier may start an application and request administrative review to explain the barrier; EEC will publish attestation results on the E2C hub and will communicate training opportunities in early 2026.