Info Session: "GROW for Early Childhood Education" Apprenticeship Grant

Education (GROW ECE)” Apprenticeship Grant Opportunity

This grant opportunity follows the recent announcement of the award of more than $6 million from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to support Registered Apprenticeship and early childhood educator apprenticeships in Massachusetts. This funding opportunity represents a major investment by the Healey-Driscoll Administration aimed at expanding access to high-quality Registered Apprenticeship pathways that strengthen and grow the early childhood educator workforce across the Commonwealth. 

This grant also builds on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s commitment to expanding Registered Apprenticeship, a proven workforce strategy that combines technical and on-the-job training for workers, delivers industry-recognized credentials, and increases access to progressive wage increases and good-paying jobs. 
You may read more about this grant opportunity here: COMMBUYS BID - GROW for Early Childhood Education (GROW ECE)

Upcoming Information Session on October 15, 2025

All prospective applicants are highly encouraged to attend the upcoming Virtual Information Session, hosted by DAS staff. This session will provide a detailed overview of the grant opportunity, application requirements, and allow for clarifying questions.

• Date & Time: October 15, 2025, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
• Format: Virtual, via Microsoft Teams:
• Meeting Link
  • Meeting ID: 262 876 113 446 7
  • Passcode: HB2Pj3d9 

Grant Opportunity Details

This opportunity, funded in part through the U.S. Department of Labor’s State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) Grant, will provide up to $1.4 million in awards in this first round, with an additional funding round anticipated in Spring 2026. Individual grants of up to $100,000 will be made available to eligible applicants to expand or establish Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) in the early childhood education sector. Awardees must agree to provide selected ECE apprentices with tuition-free related technical instruction, utilizing a coursework and preparation sequence that has been approved by the MA Department of Early Education & Care (EEC). Grant funding must entirely cover any costs related to related technical instruction, and no cost for programming shall be passed on to participants. 

Eligible applicants include but are not necessarily limited to: MassHire Workforce Boards, MassHire Career Centers, industry and training associations, labor unions, joint labor-management training consortiums, community-based organizations, non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, employer consortiums, secondary schools, two-year post-secondary colleges and universities, consulting entities, or other consortiums. Please review the full Request for Response (RFR) document in COMMBUYS for more information on applicant eligibility.

Allowable apprenticeship occupations that applicants may focus on include Early Childhood Educator, Infant or Toddler Teacher, Out-of-School Time (OST) Educator, and other early childhood roles. Applicants are not required to be existing RAP sponsors but must agree to register with DAS as a sponsor before any contract execution or reimbursement.

Application Timeline: The priority deadline for applications is November 5, 2025, for an estimated contract start date of January 5, 2026, if selected following submission by the priority timeline. The final submission deadline for this opportunity is December 15, 2025. See the RFR in COMMBUYS for a full timeline.

All responses, as well as any applicant questions, must be submitted electronically via COMMBUYS COMMBUYS BID - GROW for Early Childhood Education (GROW ECE)