Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Grants

The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) provides monthly C3 grants to support early education and care providers’ day-to-day operational and workforce costs. 

Overview

The C3 grants are non-competitive and available for eligible EEC-licensed child care providers open and serving families in Massachusetts.

C3 funds are in addition to current state funding and do not replace the existing subsidy funding system. 

Note: Child care programs who have received C3 funding are not considered a direct subrecipient of grant funds and therefore are not subject to federal reporting. Additionally, child care programs are not subject to report C3 grant funding in the Uniform Financial Report (UFR) submitted to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Operational Services Division (OSD).

C3 grants can be used for: 

• Workforce Investments
  • Personnel costs (salaries), benefits, stipends, and other supports for recruitment and retention;
  • Professional development and other investments to support staff in building educator qualifications;
• Other investments to improve program quality such as supplies, curriculum, screening tools, etc.; and
• Rent or mortgage payments, utilities, facilities maintenance and improvements, or insurance. 

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EEC recently collected feedback on the C3 formula through a public comment period.  Information on the public comment period can be found here.. 

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C3 Grant Eligibility

Providers eligible for C3 grants:

• All EEC-licensed child care providers open to serve children, regardless of whether or not they serve children who receive child care financial assistance.
• Funded programs approved by EEC and run by private schools.

Residential Programs & Placement Agencies are not eligible to apply for C3 grants. 

Providers are eligible for operational funding for the months they are open for services to children and families.

Newly licensed providers will be eligible should funding be available. This will be assessed on a quarterly basis. 

To receive C3 funding, providers must either show they are willing to accept children with vouchers, or offer care services equivalent to what the family would receive through a voucher.  

C3 Fiscal Year 2026 Updates

The Commonwealth's FY25 budget funds the C3 program at $475 million, enabling the agency to continue funding this program for the full fiscal year. The Following are updates to the program for FY26:

• Center-based providers are expected to spend 50% of C3 funds for workforce investments. This does not apply to Family Child Care Providers.
• To receive C3 funding, providers must either show they are willing to accept children with vouchers, or offer care services equivalent to what the family would receive through a voucher. 
• Providers who do not recertify and/or respond to EEC outreach within a quarter will be automatically unenrolled from the program
• EEC conducts a quarterly fiscal review to assess the programs funding availability for new provider participation. If EEC’s review determines there is available funding providers will be notified by email of their ability to begin participating in C3. 

C3 Grant Amounts

The C3 funding formula considers each child care provider’s licensed capacity/staffing levels, workforce investments, and community they serve. 

Key components of the formula include:

*Enrollment based on 12-month historical average. Centers with ≥75% average enrollment receive full base rates. Those with <75%  average enrollment have base rate prorated accordingly. FCCs with ≥3 children enrolled on average receive full base rate. Those with at least 2 but less than 3 children enrolled on average over the last year receive 75% of base rate, at least 1 but less than 2 children enrolled  on average receive 50% base rate, and more than 0 but less than 1 child enrolled on average receive 25% base rate. FCCS with 0 children enrolled not eligible. 

How to Apply

Early education and care providers submit monthly applications through their LEAD portal. If a provider has more than one site in Massachusetts, an application must be completed for each site.

Accessing the Application:

1. Log-in to LEAD
   1. Enter your LEAD username and password
   2. Click Login
2. On the homepage​, click on "View Grants" under the “Grants Management” banner
   1. If you have one site, this will take you to the EEC Grants Dashboard
   2. If you have more than one site, you will need to select each program site separately
3. Click “Apply Today” to begin your application

You will need to provide the following information to complete your application:

• Information on classrooms, current enrollment, and scholarships
• Information on educator/ assistant compensation
• Confirmation of consumer web page rate and hours information (Providers can view and update this information in LEAD)
• Race, ethnicity, and gender of FCC Operator/Center Director
• Attestations: maintaining salaries and providing tuition relief

A budget is NOT required for the application, although you should maintain financial records to track the use of funds.

Next Steps

After a site application has been approved:

• You will receive payments monthly.
  • Payment disbursement will be based on the date of application approval.
• Each month, you must recertify that your application information is up-to-date to continue receiving payments. At that time, you can update your information.
  • You will receive notifications via email and in LEAD reminding you to update your information each month.
• You will be required to complete a mid-point and post-grant report on how the funds were used and submit required state reporting.

Get Help

For questions or to get assistance, please contact EEC's C3 Grant Help Desk:

• Call 1-833-600-2074 
• Email [e-mail]

Last updated:	October 23, 2025