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EEC to launch statewide Family Advisory Council in 2026; applications in five languages
Summary
EEC will open applications for a 25-member Family Advisory Council in early 2026, with outreach materials and three information sessions; meetings will be held in English and application materials will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and simplified Chinese.
The Executive Office of Education'affiliated Department of Early Education and Care announced plans to recruit and launch a statewide Family Advisory Council in 2026, aiming to include diverse geographic and family representation to inform policy and program decisions.
Ayesha Rodriguez, who leads family engagement work at EEC, said the council is intended to be an "inclusive and responsive team" that will thread family perspectives into EEC's program and policy work across residential programming, out'of'school time and early learning. She said the design team included parents and other stakeholders and that half of the reviewers during selection will be family members.
The application will be accompanied by an ambitious outreach strategy and three information sessions; applications and materials will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and simplified Chinese. In response to a board question about size, Ayesha said the council is envisioned to include about 25 participants. The department also plans a review period in early spring and a council launch in late spring 2026.
Board members and staff emphasized the advisory council's role in elevating lived experience and in informing resource allocations, program design and state-level coordination work. Commissioner and staff noted the council will be a resource to broader task-force efforts linking early education finance and governance.
The department encouraged board members and partners to assist with outreach and to consider mechanisms for connection between the Family Advisory Council and existing parent representation on the board.
