Strategies for Children

Today's blog:

A new brief from the Department of Early Education and Care looks at the state’s Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) program.

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Mañana en The 9:30 Call en español - Miércoles 22 de octubre a las 6:30pm por Zoom - acompáñenos en una sesión con Samalid Hogan, empresaria y asesora de negocios: Acceso al Capital y Fortalecimiento de su Negocio de Cuidado Infantil

Join us today and all week on #The930Call - learn more and sign up to receive weekly email updates with Zoom access: buff.ly/GIrlHoL

La próxima semana en The 9:30 Call en español - Miércoles 22 de octubre a las 6:30pm por Zoom - acompáñenos en una sesión con Samalid Hogan, empresaria y asesora de negocios: Acceso al Capital y Fortalecimiento de su Negocio de Cuidado Infantil

— “Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches $2.5 Million Employer Child Care Innovation Fund,” Mass.gov, October 8, 2025

The Employer Child Care Innovation Fund will support the success of our child care providers and create more affordable child care options for parents so that they can get back into the workforce. We’re grateful to the Legislature for their partnership on creating this transformative program.’ ”

“ ‘We know that far too many parents are being held back from returning to the workforce because of the daunting cost of child care. And that innovative solutions that expand access to affordable care are critical for our economic growth,’ said Governor Maura Healey. ‘

"Each award requires a one-to-one employer match, with the strongest applications including both cash and in-kind contributions. Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. Monday, November 3rd 2025. This pilot is funded through the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget.”

“ECCIF will provide competitive funding for employer-led child care pilots. Over a two-year period, three to five grantees will be awarded grants ranging from $250,000 to $1 million.

Friday quote:

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today the launch of the Employer Child Care Innovation Fund (ECCIF), a $2.5 million pilot program to help employers expand access to affordable, high-quality child care for working families.”

Today's blog:

Don't miss the Babies and Toddlers Conference!

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Tomorrow on #The930Call Thursday, October 16 - Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, will share highlights from the October 15 EEC Board Meeting in Taunton, MA. Live interpretation (English to Spanish and Portuguese) will be provided by Excel Linguistics.

Strategies for Children is hosting the Early Childhood Summit on Thursday, October 16 from 2 - 6 PM at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA. Join us for a day of connecting people to people, people to policy, and people to power! Everyone is welcome - register today: buff.ly/3aFql79

Join us today and all week on #The930Call - learn more about our daily check-in for the early childhood community and sign up to receive weekly email updates with Zoom access: buff.ly/GIrlHoL

Check out the video to see moments from the Data Walk, panel discussions, and interactive activities.

Be sure to follow Strategies for Children on YouTube to see more of our videos!

“Convened by the Boston Opportunity Agenda, the Birth to Eight Collaborative includes parents and more than 200 representatives from early education centers, family childcare, nonprofit organizations, schools, public health, philanthropy and medical institutions.”

The event brought together city leaders, educators, advocates, and community organizations to explore Boston’s latest supply and demand data, discuss early childhood initiatives, and contribute to the strategic planning process of the Birth to Eight Collaborative.

Friday quote:

In this video, Strategies for Children Intern Nafee Nur shares some highlights from the 2025 Boston Supply and Demand Data Conference, which was hosted by the Boston Opportunity Agenda on September 29, 2025.

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Today's blog:

The Family Child Care Facilities grants are awards of $500 to $25,000 that programs can use to improve their physical space and “strengthen their quality and capacity.”

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Today's blog:

Danielle Ewen of Sixth Street Associates shares resources on how the government shutdown could affect early childhood programs.

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Join us today and all week on #The930Call - learn more about our daily check-in for the early childhood community and sign up to receive weekly email updates with Zoom access: buff.ly/SK0HJiy

“This partnership that Sarah is talking about has really been a transformative partnership for the social centers.”

— Justin Pasquariello, Chief Executive Officer, East Boston Social Centers

“We say that we take care of people who take care of children.”

— Sarah Siegel Muncey, Co-President, Neighborhood Villages

Friday quote:

Listen to Sarah Siegel Muncey and Justin Pasquariello discuss their partnership to strengthen early education on the podcast C-Speak: The Language of Executives, featured in the Boston Business Journal, on September 22, 2025.

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Today's Blog:

Building workforce infrastructure in Greater Boston with a U.S. Department of Commerce grant.

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Today's blog:

An article in "The 74" looks at apprenticeship programs, including one of Neighborhood Villages' apprenticeship programs in Temple Beth Shalom Children’s Center.

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Join us today and all week on #The930Call - learn more about our daily check-in for the early childhood community and sign up to receive weekly email updates with Zoom access: buff.ly/SK0HJiy

— “Report highlights persistent challenges in early child care workforce,” by Hallie Claflin, CommonWealth Beacon, September 16, 2025

‘But it isn’t just about dollars; it’s about supporting educators who nurture our kids while sustaining thousands of small businesses through targeted investments and thoughtful policymaking.’ ”

“ ‘Massachusetts loses close to $3 billion each year due to inadequate child care, a loss that ripples across families, employers, and the economy,’ MTF policy researcher and report author Victoria Bergeron said.