This project is working to expand access to quality childcare for low- and moderate-income working families in the region by developing a model for employer-supported childcare featuring shared funding between employers, families, and the public sector (with this role being filled by philanthropy initially).  The project emerged from a coalition of committed business and community leaders in the North Central Massachusetts region formed in 2023 and co-led by the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, which serves as fiscal sponsor, and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, which provides administrative support for the project.  Key goals include removing a significant barrier to success for working families and their employers, bolstering early childhood development, and strengthening the region economically.

An important and unexpected development during the planning year was the approval of funding for the Department of Early Education and Care to pilot a competitive matching grant program aimed at incentivizing employer investments in childcare in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s FY25 budget. The Health Foundation awarded a transition grant to support a smooth transition for project staff and evaluators as they pursue state funding for the pilot phase of this work.

2024-

Total Granted to Date:

$405,773