- Department of Early Education and Care
Video: Welcome Secretary Zrike!
Skip this video Welcome Secretary Zrike!.Hello EEC Community,
Welcome to second edition of our EEC newsletter. Thank you for all the love you shared in response to the previous edition, it’s wonderful to know that so many of you find this a helpful place to receive a round-up of updates from the department.
Announcements
EEC is excited to welcome our new Education Secretary Zrike! Secretary Zrike is joining us from Salem Public Schools, where he served as its Superintendent. You can watch Commissioner Kershaw’s welcome message in the newsletter.
Last month, EEC in partnership with the Department of Higher Education, opened the application for the Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Loan Repayment program. This $15 million program will offer its recipients annual loan repayments of $7,500 per year subject to appropriation. This program is open to educators working directly with children and families in settings such as family child care, center-based programs, after-school and out-of-school time programs, residential programs, and contracted FCC systems, who earned an undergraduate degree in Massachusetts after July 1, 2013. Please refer to the application for more details and to apply. You can also watch the info session recording. The application is open through June 1.
The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Scholarship opened April 1! This program is intended for current or prospective educators who are seeking financial aid to continue their education. They must work directly with children and families in settings such as family child care, center-based programs, after-school and out-of-school time programs, residential programs, and contracted FCC systems. You can sign up through the form for the upcoming info sessions or access to the recording when it’s available.
Last month, the Healey-Driscoll Administration released the Inter-Agency Early Education and Child Care Task Force’s Year Two Report, highlighting significant progress the Task Force has made to expand accessible, affordable, and equitable high-quality child care across Massachusetts. The Task Force includes representatives from every state Secretariat, and represents a whole-of-government approach to improving child care accessibility and affordability.
Applications are now open for the Mass Cultural Council’sCreative Experiences grant program, which provides $2,500 and $5,000 grants to organizations, creative businesses, schools, and educational programs to support projects that incorporate the arts, humanities, and/or interpretive sciences and that take place between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027. The application is open until April 30.
Applications are now open for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resource’s Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG), which ranges from $10,000 to $500,000 for projects completed by June 30, 2027 that can cash match at 20%. FSIG is looking to fund projects that build resilience within the Massachusetts food supply chain, with emphasis on creating greater and more equitable access to nutritious, healthy, and locally grown food. The application will remain open until Monday, May 4 at 4 PM.
Through the work of the Inter-Agency Early Education and Child Care Task Force, the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation (MOOR) and EEC are excited to introduce "Outdoor Start," a resource hub designed to help families and early education programs spend more time in nature. The resource hub offers information for policymakers, families, and early education providers on the benefits of nature for young children and ways to engage with the outdoors in positive and developmentally appropriate ways.
We are continually working on our EEC Professional Portal and our family portal, MyChildCareMA. Tune into April’s board meeting for updates and to learn more!
Reminders
Don’t forget to complete your taxes! Many Massachusetts workers, families, and older adults can get extra cash by filing a tax return - even if they had no or very low income in 2025 or don’t usually file. The Massachusetts Child and Family Tax Credit gives $440 for eachchild under 13, dependent or spouse with a disability, or dependent age 65+. Getting this money will not affect your benefits like SNAP or MassHealth. Don't miss out on money you're owed! Visit www.FindYourFunds.org to learn what money you can get and how to file for free. You can also watch the info sessions we did with the Healthy Families Tax Credit Coalition for more information!
Upcoming Events
April 15 at 7:00 p.m.
April 16 at 11:30 a.m.
April 17 at 10:30 a.m.
April 17 at 1:30 p.m.
April 29 at 7:00 p.m.
May 12 at 1:00 p.m.
May 18 at 1:00 p.m.
May 20 at 1:00 p.m.
June 3 at 12:30 p.m.
June 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Stay tuned for any more upcoming events on the Events page, and check our YouTube page for any recorded info sessions and board meeting livestreams.
Ongoing Work
You can also get updates from our board meetings, where we discuss and provide regular EEC updates. These meetings happen on the second Wednesday of each month throughout the Commonwealth. If you are looking to share public comment at one of these meetings, our feedback page has more information on how to submit. This page is also a great resource to get involved in our external engagement opportunities. Feel free to fill out one of the forms, and we will reach out if it’s a good fit.
Research
Capital Investments support early education and care sites by providing funding to improve facilities through renovations and other innovative developments. To read more about their impact, read our new Capital Investments data brief.
The E2C Hub, the Commonwealth’s home for education data and research, now has four datasets that are part of the Department of Early Education and Care’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Dashboard:
- Children Enrolled in Formal Early Education and Care Statewide
Updated monthly, this dataset provides U.S. Census data on the estimated population of children, including enrollment in child care programs and children in families with household incomes below 50%. - Early Education and Care's Centralized Waitlist for Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA)
Updated monthly and with 10 years of data, this dataset reports the number of children on the waitlist for child care financial assistance, by age group and region. - Licensed and Funded Early Education and Care Program Openings and Closings
Updated monthly, featuring the number of programs that have opened or closed historically, along with their capacity. - Licensed Residential and Placement (R&P) Programs
Updated monthly, providing the number of residential programs, foster care placement agencies, and adoption agencies licensed by EEC, along with their capacity.
Shout Outs and Celebrations
We had so many wonderful submissions, but we were only able to pick a couple to share today! If you sent in a shoutout and it was not chosen, stay tuned for the next one! Please submit any new shoutouts on our Shout Out and Celebrations form.
"Celebrating Leidy Carmona’s Milestone"
We are proud to celebrate a very special milestone for Leidy Carmona!
Leidy came to the United States with her children and has worked tirelessly to build a meaningful career in the EEC field. Through dedication, perseverance, and a true passion for early childhood education, she has continued to grow professionally while making a lasting impact on the lives of the children she serves.
Leidy is deeply invested in every child in her care. She leads with patience, compassion, and a genuine commitment to helping each child thrive. Her dedication does not go unnoticed.
We are especially proud to share that Leidy has successfully completed her Director Certification — a major accomplishment that reflects her hard work and commitment to excellence. Even after achieving this milestone, she continues to seek new opportunities to learn and grow so she can better serve our children and families.
Congratulations, Leidy! Your journey is inspiring, and we are grateful to have you as part of our community.
Happy Space Academy.
-from Rosali Ngwanyam, Happy Space Academy
“Celebrating Derek DeLisi, Next Generation Afterschool Leader”
The National Afterschool Association recently announced the 2026 Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders: 30 exceptional professionals age 30 and under who are strengthening programs, uplifting young people and advancing the out-of-school time field nationwide. This recognition celebrates outstanding early-career professionals in the out-of-school time field who are deeply committed to their own growth and the growth of others, and who continue to build their leadership skills through dedication, curiosity, and perseverance.
Derek DeLisi, OST Site Director at For Kids Only Afterschool's Center School program in Peabody, was selected from more than 140 nominations nation-wide!
"At a time when our field faces workforce challenges and shifting needs, investing in emerging leaders is essential. By supporting the next generation, we are strengthening program quality, improving youth outcomes and building a resilient future for afterschool." -NAA
For more information or to view the full list of 2026 honorees, visit: https://loom.ly/33VRJR0
-from Briana Flannery, For Kids Only Afterschool
“Belated birthday shout-out to Marie Claude Fedna on March 11!”
Marie Claude has been a beloved part of Commonwealth Children’s Center since June 1994, spending her years caring for our infants with patience, heart, and dedication. That’s more than 30 years of nurturing babies and supporting families — an amazing milestone.
She also shares a special family connection with CCC — her daughter attended years ago, and later her granddaughter too. Today, she’s a proud mom of three and grandmother of four.
We are so lucky to have her as part of our community. Happy Birthday, Marie Claude!
-from Maria Stotts, Commonwealth Children’s Center
