It’s time for early education and care providers in Massachusetts to update their Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Grant application information. And there are new requirements that all providers should know. 

Launched during the pandemic, C3 Grants are administered by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), and they help programs cover operating costs by providing funding that can be used to improve program quality, increase salaries or make other workforce investments, or pay rent, mortgage, and utility bills. 

During a public comment period, providers shared that C3 funding has enabled them to: 

• Increase pay to retain existing staff and hire new staff

• Delay tuition increases for families

• Prioritize serving vulnerable children

• Purchase nutritious food and provide meals

• Invest in program quality

• Stay open

The new updates to the program for fiscal year ‘26 are: 

• Center-based providers are expected to spend 50% of C3 funds for workforce expenses. (This update 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.”

Specifically, providers must attest that:

“If my program has an available spot and a family receiving EEC child care financial assistance expressed interest in enrolling, I am willing to work with a Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency to enter into a voucher agreement if my program does not already have one in place.”

This attestation comes from a new statutory requirement from the Legislature. All providers, including those already accepting CCFA, must complete this attestation during this recertification period to remain eligible for the grant. 

Providers are not required to have a voucher agreement in place at the time of attestation. Providers who do not recertify and/or respond to EEC outreach within a quarter will be automatically unenrolled from the program. Agreeing to the attestation does not mean providers have to make any changes to their program structure.

If there is available funding, EEC will notify providers who are not yet enrolled in the program so they can apply for funds. (EEC expects that more funds will be available this January.)

To learn more, be sure to check out the resources on the state’s C3 Grants website.

There is also information in this edition of The 9:30 Call, starting at the 7:48 timestamp: