MALDEN — After touring the Mystic Valley YMCA’s preschool class, Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll announced their administration’s new Gateway to Pre-K agenda, which is aimed at ensuring every 4-year-old in the Commonwealth has access to affordable or free preschool, last Tuesday morning.
The governor’s agenda will continue the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants for the next fiscal year, providing stable funding for child-care organizations to hire more teachers, improve their programming, or pay facility costs to create more classrooms for families in need of affordable child care.
Healey said that last year, her administration distributed roughly $500,000,000 in C3 grants.
“The goal is to get universal pre-K for every 4-year-old in the state. By the end of 2026, every 4-year-old in every gateway city in the state will have access to universal pre-K. We’re going to start building system-wide solutions together,” Healey said.
The two-year plan, for which Healey will propose funding in the Commonwealth’s fiscal year 2025 budget, will increase eligibility for Child Care Financial Assistance from those earning 50% of the state median income to those earning 85% of it.
Currently, the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CCPI) establishes early-education classes in 12 gateway cities, including Lynn. The CPPI also provides scholarships to participating families, in some cases allowing them to enroll their children in preschool at no cost.
Accompanied by officials such as Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, and Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Healey said her administration plans to expand the CPPI program to the remaining 14 gateway cities by 2026.
“We know that too many parents generally have had to make a hard choice to not leave the home and work simply because they cannot afford child care,” Healey said. “Child care is a linchpin. It’s fundamental and it’s central to our agenda, both for families, for education, for workforce development, and for business development.”
Tutwiler, who previously served as superintendent of schools in Lynn, referred to the agenda as a “down payment” investment for children’s futures across the Commonwealth.
“By expanding access to child care, financial assistance, increasing access to preschool beginning in our gateway communities, continuing yet another year of funding the Commonwealth Cares for Children grants, and approaching early education with the whole state government, we are making systemic changes for the next generations of Massachusetts residents,” Tutwiler said. “I really want to emphasize the importance of every student having the opportunity to access high-quality health care and learning experiences.”
