Bill > H4795

This bill aims to expand access to high-quality, affordable early education and care in Massachusetts. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Exempting childcare and school-age programs contracting with the Department of Early Education and Care from price limitations. 2. Establishing new definitions, such as "caregiver," "high needs," "operational grant," and "subsidized child care provider." 3. Revising the rate structure, sliding fee scale, and reimbursement method for subsidized early education and care programs. 4. Requiring the Department to annually collect data from providers on employee demographics, pay rates, benefits, tuition, and enrollment. 5. Creating an early education and care subsidy program to provide subsidies to all families in need, with priority given to lower-income families and those with high-needs children. 6. Establishing operational grants for providers to use for educator compensation, credentialing, program quality, and sustainability. 7. Creating an early education and care educator scholarship and loan forgiveness program. 8. Requiring the development of strategies to fill early education and care job positions. 9. Mandating various reporting requirements to the legislature on the costs, usage, and access to early education and care subsidies and services. The bill also includes several deadlines for the Department of Early Education and Care to develop plans, methodologies, and reports related to expanding access to high-quality, affordable early education and care.

Budget and Finance

Committee on Education (J)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H4795