- Department of Early Education and Care
Hello EEC Community,
The summer months are here, which are some of the busier months for many of our educators and programs. We want to acknowledge your care and dedication to children and families every day. We hope that this newsletter’s edition provides you with helpful resources as well as a moment to ground yourself in our larger community. Thanks for all you do!
Announcements
Last month, in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, EEC launched a new Educator Discounts directory. Created in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council, as part of Governor Healey’s Inter-Agency Early Education and Child Care (IAEECC) Task Force, this directory includes cultural institutions, museums, and businesses throughout the state that offer discounts for K-12 and early education and care educators. We encourage educators to check it out!
On June 3rd, through the IAEECC Task Force, EEC collaborated with Health Connector for Business, MassHealth, and Health Connector to provide more information about health care options for EEC-licensed program staff. If you missed it, you can watch the recording on YouTube and access the slides on the events page. The video is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Mandarin.
In alignment with another IAEECC Task Force initiative, external partners from the Children's Investment Fund (CIF) and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) hosted a webinar on co-locating child care and affordable housing in Massachusetts. Topics included successful projects and resources as well as a new predevelopment lending product from CIF. You can view a recording of the webinar to learn more!
The announcement of the members of our new Family Advisory Council of 20 caregivers will be made soon! This year, we announced that EEC was convening a Family Advisory Council created by a Design Team including parents, EEC staff, and other stakeholder organizations. Together, they created this opportunity for caregivers across the Commonwealth to elevate their voices in shaping EEC programs and policies. We received 223 applications, and dozens of these applicants were interviewed by our Design Team members. As this process enters its final stages, please visit our webpage for updates, resources, and opportunities to connect.
Last month, the EEC Board voted to approve the revised residential regulations to go into effect on November 17, 2026. You can read the regulations, related policies, and check the policy transmittal page for new policies. Thank you to our residential programs for their deep involvement in this process, thirty years in the making! We will continue to work with our residential programs in implementation ahead of the effective date.
EEC’s new family portal, MyChildCareMA launched on May 6. Families can use the portal to apply for Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA), upload documents, check their status, and receive messages about their application. This system provides a way for families and family access administrators (FAAs) to stay readily in contact with each other throughout the CCFA application process. The new portal replaced Kinderwait. If families were already on the waitlist, their information has been moved to MyChildCareMA. The system will work on laptops, as well as mobile and tablet devices, and it’s available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Russian, Arabic, and Simplified Chinese. Families can login using their same credentials for other MyMassGov services.
Reminders
Please remember to submit your C3 recertifications before June 30 to ensure that you continue to receive funding.
The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Scholarship is still open! 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 to access the recording.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday June 17 at 7:00 p.m.
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
You can find our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and any new data briefs on our research page.
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 shout out and it was not chosen, stay tuned for the next one! Please submit any new shoutouts to our Shout Out and Celebrations form.
Celebrating Anilda Pinto’s 30-Year Work Anniversary
Anilda is the first person in our organization, Horizons for Homeless Children, to reach a 30-year work-anniversary. Thirty years of commitment, compassion, consistency and love----this isn’t just a milestone, it is a legacy.
Anilda, knows this work inside and out. She has dedicated so much of her life to our infants, and it’s impossible not to notice how deeply she cares for them and how they gravitate to her in return. Parents leave their children with her without hesitation, because they trust her and that kind of trust is earned through years of care, patience and having a genuine heart for our mission.
I had the privilege of working alongside Anilda as a co-teacher for a very short time when she crossed over to the toddler side of life! And while toddlers “sometimes” require a bit of discipline, we all quickly learned that Anilda simply doesn’t have it in her bones to speak to any child in a stern or serious way. Even redirecting somehow becomes playful, gentle and joyful with her….and honestly, that’s a rare and beautiful gift.
Anilda is respectful, kind and deeply devoted. There truly is no one more deserving to mark this incredible milestone. Her impact stretches far beyond classrooms…she has shaped lives, supported families and helped define the heart of Horizons where every child has the opportunity to play, thrive and learn.
- from Jayd Rodrigues, Horizons for Homeless Children
Celebrating Catia’s New Chapter, from Assistant to Family Child Care Provider
I worked for 5 years and 3 months at a family child care that helped and encouraged me to become the professional I am today. I am grateful for the support I received in completing my classes and obtaining my certification, and now I am heading towards my own family child care, better prepared to make a difference in the lives of the families who will be here with me. This field, for those who truly find their calling in it, even with the challenges, helps us discover ourselves and makes us want to learn more every day.
- submitted by Catia Melo, translated from Portuguese
Recognizing Lauren Selman-Kaptimer’s Outstanding Work as a Program Admin
I am proud to nominate Lauren Selman-Kaptimer for recognition of her outstanding work and the incredible milestones she has helped our program achieve. Since joining our team as our very first Program Admin, Lauren has brought an exceptional level of organization, structure, and professionalism to our program. Her attention to detail, leadership, and commitment to excellence were clearly demonstrated in our recent relicensing review, where we received a perfect result, an achievement that is truly not easy to accomplish.
Lauren consistently goes above and beyond to ensure compliance, support staff, and strengthen our overall program quality. Her dedication, hard work, and passion for early education have made a lasting impact on our team and the families we serve. Celebrating her contributions is more than well deserved, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her leadership and expertise guiding our program.
- from Greg Fernandes, Rose Conservatory
