EEC launches loan‑repayment program offering up to $7,500 to early educators

The Department of Early Education and Care on a recent information session detailed a new Early Childhood Educator Loan Repayment Program that will pay up to $7,500 per recipient per year toward outstanding federal or state school loans for qualifying early educators.

Sarah Cen, a workforce development specialist at EEC, said the program is intended for people currently employed at EEC‑licensed programs — including center‑based programs, family child care, afterschool/out‑of‑school programs and licensed residential programs — and is not a tuition scholarship. "This is going to be our first time having it," Cen said, adding that the award applies only to existing loan balances and that funds will go directly to loan processors, not to individuals.

The program covers undergraduate degrees (associate or bachelor’s) completed after July 1, 2013, and excludes master’s degrees. Cen said qualifying fields of study include early childhood education, education, social work, psychology and human services; degrees in unrelated fields such as English, math or business do not qualify. She also said degrees must come from eligible Massachusetts public or private institutions and encouraged applicants to contact EEC if their college is not listed in the portal.

Applicants must provide several pieces of documentation in the MassAid portal: an official transcript showing degree and date of graduation, a recent loan statement showing the current outstanding balance, and the master promissory note (downloadable from studentaid.gov). Cen walked through how to locate a master promissory note and how to create or sign into a MassAid account to reach the application labeled "2526 Early Childhood Educator Loan Repayment Program." She advised using Microsoft Edge for the portal, citing fewer errors in her testing.

The first application cycle requires completed applications and uploaded documentation by June 1; review begins after that date. Cen corrected an error on the portal that listed a July 1 upload deadline and said the portal may display "ineligible" or "documentation not on file" until staff have reviewed submissions. "We will begin to review applications after June 1, and then you will hear whether or not you were approved for loan repayment," she said.

Priority will be given to educators with five or more years in the field and to those working in communities facing child‑care shortages, Cen said, but she emphasized that priority does not bar applicants with fewer years from applying. She noted funding is subject to appropriation and that the budget included funding for two fiscal years; officials expect there could be another cycle next year but have not confirmed future funding.

On specific limits, Cen said the program pays a maximum of $7,500 per person per year. "If you owe less than $7,500, you would get that much; if you owe more, you would get $7,500 toward whatever your balance is," she said. The money is paid directly to the loan servicer and cannot be requested as a refund by an individual who has already paid off a loan.

Attendees asked practical questions that presenters addressed: proof‑of‑employment letters must be printed, signed by a supervisor, and uploaded (owners who are their own supervisors may sign their own forms); paper statements should be scanned to PDF for upload; and if applicants upload the wrong document, EEC will notify them after review and provide time to correct it. Presenters also said some closed colleges that previously enrolled many early‑ed students (Pine Manor and Mount Ida) had been added to the eligible list and urged applicants to email the team about other institutions not listed.

Cen said she could not immediately answer questions about whether loan repayment would be treated as taxable income and whether applicants must commit to remain in their positions for a fixed term; she asked attendees to submit those questions by email so she could confirm with Department of Higher Education colleagues and respond. "If you send me an email, I will get back to you with the answers to questions I can't answer tonight," she said.

The agency plans to distribute the session slides and a recording to attendees and to post live links that replicate the portal walk‑through. Attendees were given contact emails in the chat for follow‑up questions and technical problems with the MassAid portal.

Next steps: applicants should create or sign into a MassAid account, collect an official transcript, recent loan statement and master promissory note, print and sign a proof‑of‑employment letter, upload those documents by June 1 and await the agency's review and notification. The department said it aims to transmit funds to loan processors before the end of the fiscal year but could not guarantee exact disbursement dates.