Neighborhood Villages Applauds Early Education Funding in House FY25 State Budget

House FY25 Budget Includes $1.5 Billion For Early Education and Care, Including $475 Million for Child Care Operations Grants

BOSTON, MA (April 29, 2024) Neighborhood Villages — a Boston-based nonprofit that advocates for solutions to the greatest challenges faced by the early education sector — celebrated the passage of the $58 billion fiscal 2025 state budget put forward by the Massachusetts House of Representatives that commits $1.5 billion to early education and care, including $475 million for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grant program and provisions making this program permanent. 

These direct-to-provider operations grants, initially introduced as a pandemic response initiative, have proven essential to the field’s viability and are vital to creating a sustainable child care sector.

Lauren Kennedy, co-president of Neighborhood Villages, issued the following statement:

“We are grateful to see the Legislature recognize early childhood education as a fundamental public good. Continued public investment is essential for reforming our early education and care system to expand child care access, increase affordability, and raise wages for educators. 

“We commend the House for allocating funds to vital initiatives such as the direct-to-provider grants program, which is essential for sustaining and bolstering the sector. Over the last few years, we have seen firsthand how vital this funding is to creating a healthier, more equitable and accessible early education and care system. We are looking forward to seeing the budget and these critical investments come before the Senate for consideration, so that we can improve our child care system and make Massachusetts a better place to live and work for everyone.”