Photo: Alyssa Haywoode for Strategies for Children
It has been a turbulent year for state budget proceedings in Massachusetts. The fiscal year 2021 budget has been delayed since July due to the pandemic. Instead of a full budget for the entire year, the state has passed monthly budgets which essentially extend the fiscal year 2020 budget one month at a time. There was also a supplemental budget for the FY20 fiscal year, which Governor Baker signed on July 24, 2020. That budget included critical funding related to COVID-19 relief for early education and care, including $45.6 million in federal CARES Act funding used for child care reopening grants.
In October, Governor Baker released his revised FY21 budget proposal, which he had originally released in January. This budget preserved and increased funding for early education and care, while also proposing a new Early Education COVID Recovery Fund.
Now in November, the FY21 budget is rapidly coming together. The House passed its budget last week; it contains much needed funding for early education and care, including a $20 million rate increase for early educators and $10 million for a reserve to reduce fees for parents enrolling in subsidized child care. The House budget also earmarks up to $50 million in the two child care access accounts for COVID-related child care stabilization funding and incentive pay for early educators.
House Amendments, Consolidated Amendment A
Next came the Senate budget. On November 12, The Senate Committee on Ways and Means released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2021. Compared to the House and Governor’s budgets, the Senate proposal provides greater funding overall for early education and care. It includes $40 million for the reserve to reduce the parent fee portion of child care subsidies. The budget also includes $25 million for a new reserve for Coronavirus-related supports for the early education workforce and program operational costs. The Senate provides level funding of $5 million for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative. The Senate proposal does not fund EEC’s Workforce Development initiative, funded at $10 million in the House.
The Senate will debate budget amendments on Tuesday, November 17.
Senate Amendments for Education “EDU”
For more detailed budget information and comparisons, visit Strategies for Children’s state budget webpage.
After the Senate passes its budget, a six-member Conference Committee will reconcile the differences between the House and Senate budgets. Millions of dollars will be at stake for early education and care. Contact your legislators today to advocate for investments in early education and care. At this critical time for the child care sector, we urge the Legislature to include the maximum amount of funding possible for each line item, and continue to support young children, families, and early educators.
Stay tuned for updates and advocacy opportunities. For more information contact Titus DosRemedios at tdosremedios@strategiesforchildren.org.
Eye on Early Education is a blog of Strategies for Children, an organization that works to ensure that Massachusetts invests the resources needed for all children, from birth to age five, to access high-quality early education programs that prepare them for success in school and life. The blogger, 
eyeonearlyeducation.org 
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