Massachusetts’ 2025-2026 Legislative Session: What is Being Proposed for Early Education and Child Care?
The new Massachusetts’ legislative session began on January 1, 2025. While the legislative session in Massachusetts runs continuously for two years, all bills to be considered during the session must be filed in January. For this session of the state legislature, State Senators and Representatives submitted over 6500 bills.
Last session, significant reforms for early education and care were originally proposed through a bill and ultimately passed through the state budget. This session, Neighborhood Villages identified over 60 bills that would impact early education and child care. They range widely in content and include legislation that seeks to create additional revenue sources for early education and child care, increase the wages for early educators, better integrate family friend and neighbor care (better known as FFN) into the formal system, and more.
Here is snapshot of the bills:
5 Expand Early Education and Child Care Services
8 Create New Revenue Sources for Early Education and Child Care
12 Improve conditions or compensation for Early Educators and Care Providers
1 Makes Raising a Child More Affordable
While Neighborhood Villages key priorities this session focus on additional funding for the sector and fully implementing the promise of the policies passed by the legislature last session, we are also keeping an eye on these new bills and their potential to impact the sector.
The next step in the process is for these (and all) bills to be sent to committees, which will happen this spring. We expect most early education and care related bills to go to the education committee. After that, hearings will be scheduled. Keep an eye out for additional materials and information on key legislation on early education and care as it moves through the legislative process.