- Department of Early Education and Care
- Executive Office of Education
Media Contact for Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $15M in Grants to Local Head Start Child Care Programs
Alana Davidson, Director of Communications
Lynn — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that it is awarding $15 million in Fiscal Year 2024 Head Start State Supplemental Grants to 28 organizations across the Commonwealth that offer Early Head Start and Head Start to bolster the state’s early education and care workforce. Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler and Commissioner of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw visited the Leo Inc. Head Start program in Lynn today to meet with and hear from educators and families directly, seeing the impact of the program that supports over 11,000 children annually and employs approximately 4,000 early childhood professionals.
“This Head Start grant is helping to tackle two challenges that I hear about often as I travel around the state: the high cost of child care and the mental health crisis impacting our youth,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This $15 million investment of state funds into programs like Head Start will help make our state more affordable and equitable, support the hiring of qualified educators to serve more children, and build healthier communities by meeting the needs of families.”
“Our Administration is committed to strengthening local early education and care infrastructure. These grants support our local Head Start Programs to invest in our youngest learners so that regardless of zip code or economic background they can access the high-quality education they need to succeed in school and life,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “Access to Head Start programs support the economic stability of families, promoting their children’s healthy development and well-being.”
These grants focus on funding workforce development supports and enhancing program quality of all Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Funds can be used to support staff salaries, compensation, and benefits to address recruitment and retention of Early Head Start and Head Start staff. As well as provide direct support to Early Head Start and Head Start programs to provide high quality comprehensive services that may include coaches, mental health consultants, and additional teaching staff to reduce staff to child ratios.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to centering equity in all that we do. Head Start is a critical part of that work – helping to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty through comprehensive educational programs that meet children’s emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs,” said Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler. “This state funding will not only support our children, but the needs of the whole family. It is also an investment in our early childhood educators and local communities, promoting a quality education for all young learners.”
“Head Start is a critical part of our child care system that holistically prepares thousands of our youngest students to enter school ready for success, while helping low-income families work and drive our economy forward,” said Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated longstanding fragility in the early education and care system, where programs have long struggled to balance affordability for families with providing sufficient wages for staff and investing in critical quality supports. We are pleased to provide these grants to local Head Start programs to help tackle these challenges and build a more accessible, affordable, and equitable system.”
"Head Start is a vital lifeline for over 11,000 vulnerable young children and their families in Massachusetts, providing access to high-quality early education and comprehensive services that children and families need to thrive. MHSA is grateful for the Legislature, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and the Department of Early Education and Care for supporting Head Start programs through the Supplemental Grant,” said Massachusetts Head Start Association (MHSA) Executive Director Michelle Haimowitz.
Early Head Start and Head Start programs provide free learning and development services to low-income families with children birth to age 5. Some Early Head Start programs also provide prenatal services for pregnant people. Families who receive TAFDC cash benefits, SNAP food benefits, and/or SSI disability benefits, children in foster care and children who are homeless automatically qualify for Head Start. Learn more about Head Start and find a local program by calling 1-866-763-6481 or visit https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/how-apply.
The grants to these 28 organizations will directly invest funding into 168 cities and towns across Massachusetts.
The Fiscal Year 2024 Head Start State Supplemental Grant awardees:
|
Awardee |
City/Town Served |
|
Action For Boston Community Development, Inc. |
Boston, Everett, Malden, and Medford |
|
Associates for Human Services, Inc. |
Attleboro, Brockton, Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Middleboro, New Bedford, Norton, Taunton, Whitman, and West Bridgewater |
|
Berkshire County Head Start Child Development Program, Inc |
Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, New Ashford, Mount Washington, Monterey, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Windsor, and Williamstown |
|
Cape Cod YMCA |
Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, and Yarmouth |
|
Citizens for Citizens, Inc. |
Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport |
|
Communities United, Inc. |
Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Burlington, Lexington, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, and Woburn |
|
Community Action Agency of Somerville |
Cambridge and Somerville |
|
Community Action Pioneer Valley, Inc. |
Agawam, Amherst, Belchertown, Bernardston, Blandford, Buckland, Charlemont, Chester, Chesterfield, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Granby, Granville, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Huntington, Leverett, Leyden, Middlefield, Montrose, Montague, Montgomery, New Salem, Northampton, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Russell, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Southwick, Sunderland, Tolland, Ware, Warwick, Wendell, West Springfield, Westfield, Westhampton, Whately, Williamsburg, and Worthington |
|
Community Action Program-Inter City, Incorporated |
Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop |
|
Community Action, Inc. |
Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and West Newbury |
|
Community Day Care Center of Lawrence, Inc. |
Lawrence and Methuen |
|
Community Teamwork, Inc. |
Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, and Wilmington |
|
Dimock Community Services Corporation |
Boston |
|
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. |
Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover |
|
Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, Inc |
Chicopee, Holyoke, Ludlow and Springfield |
|
LEO INC. |
Lynn, Lynnfield, Marblehead, Nahant, Saugus, and Swampscott |
|
Making Opportunity Count, Inc. |
Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Barre, Boylston, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hubbardston, Leominster, Lunenburg, Phillipston, Royalston, Rutland, Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon |
|
Martha's Vineyard Community Services Incorporated |
Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury |
|
Pathways for Children, Inc. |
Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Middleton, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Topsfield, and Wenham |
|
People Acting In Community Endeavors, Inc. |
Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, and New Bedford |
|
Quincy Community Action Program, Inc. |
Braintree, Hull, Milton, Quincy, and Weymouth |
|
Riverside Community Care, Inc. |
Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville |
|
Self-Help Incorporated |
Abington, Attleboro, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Dedham, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Franklin, Hanover, Hanson, Holbrook, Kingston, Mansfield, Middleboro, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Norwood, Plainville, Randolph, Rockland, Stoughton, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Whitman, and Wrentham |
|
South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. |
Acton, Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Boxboro, Concord, Dover, Framingham, Grafton, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lincoln, Littleton, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Upton, Uxbridge, Wayland, Westborough, and Weston |
|
South Shore Community Action Council, Inc. |
Bourne, Carver, Cohasset, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hingham, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Scituate, and Wareham |
|
Triumph, Inc |
Raynham and Taunton |
|
Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. |
Auburn, Dudley, East Brookfield, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, Oxford, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Webster and West Brookfield |
|
Worcester Child Development (City of Worcester) |
Worcester |
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Media Contact for Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $15M in Grants to Local Head Start Child Care Programs
Department of Early Education and Care
Executive Office of Education
While Massachusetts' students rank first in the nation on many educational measures, the Executive Office of Education strives to strengthen the foundations of education reform, empower schools and educators, and develop pathways to college and careers so all students in the Commonwealth can succeed, regardless of their zip code.