BOSTON — Early education officials are pushing state budget negotiators to restore funding for agency operations and two programs eliminated under the Senate’s spending bill.
Speaking during Strategies for Children’s weekly “9:30 Call,” Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw said Thursday that the administration is focused on restoring funding for the Department of Early Education and Care’s administrative account, Career Pathways, and Reach Out and Read as House and Senate negotiators work toward an agreement on a new state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
“The House and the Senate are now in conference committee, and there are a couple key watch areas for the Department of Early Education and Care,” Kershaw said. “The top issue is differences in our administrative line item. We’re very focused on trying to make sure that we are restored to fiscal ’25 levels, which is what was in the House budget, that would allow us to support existing operations, including staff and many of our IT modernization efforts.”
The department’s line item was funded at $27.7 million in fiscal year 2025. Gov. Maura Healey proposed $13.2 million for fiscal year 2027, the House recommended $20.3 million, and the Senate proposed $9.7 million — roughly $2 million below the account’s fiscal year 2026 level of $11.5 million.
Kershaw also highlighted two programs that were eliminated entirely from the Senate budget but funded by both the governor and House in their versions of the budget.
“Our Career Pathways program, which is serving nearly 4,000 educators across the state, is a unique opportunity to really create a pathway into higher education, and we don’t have another program like that across the state,” Kershaw said.
The Career Pathways program received $3 million in FY26. Healey and the House each proposed $2.97 million for FY27, while the Senate omitted the line item.
The program provides grant-funded education, coursework, textbooks, tutoring and other supports that help early education and out-of-school-time educators earn credentials needed to become teachers and program directors. The Senate Ways and Means Committee said this program is effectively moot since the state began funding free community college.
Kershaw said the Senate also eliminated Reach Out and Read, an early literacy initiative funded at $1.75 million in FY26. Both the governor and House maintained that funding level.
Kershaw said that funding goes to 250 community health centers to provide books and early literacy materials to young children.
The funding debate comes amid several years of major state investment in early education and care. Since 2023, lawmakers and the Healey-Driscoll administration have directed hundreds of millions of dollars into the sector through Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) stabilization grants, provider rate increases and expanded child care assistance.
Early education advocates have pointed to Massachusetts as one of the few states that continued major stabilization funding after federal pandemic relief dollars expired. Healey’s FY27 budget proposes more than $1.8 billion for the sector.
Kershaw also pointed Thursday to a supplemental budget now awaiting Healey’s signature that includes $38.7 million aimed at reducing the state’s child care financial assistance waiting list. If that is signed, “we do think there would be an opportunity for the first time since 2024 to really open access, especially for our educators working in child care and early education programs,” she said.
The spending bill directs $38.7 million toward reducing the waiting list for income-eligible early education and care programs.
The package includes at least $10.7 million for newly procured early education slots, $8 million to help educators pay for their own child care, and $7.5 million for a newly established early educator loan forgiveness program. Lawmakers have said the funding could create nearly 2,500 additional child care openings while helping reduce a waiting list that stood at more than 29,000 children earlier this year.