Home » State Early Childhood Policy Landscapes » Massachusetts Early Childhood Policy Landscape

Massachusetts

Massachusetts, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.

State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.

2024 State Early Childhood Policy Environment and Progress

Early Childhood Landscape:

Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children. This is important because research shows that rapid brain development occurs during the early childhood years.

Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining

Approximately 41 percent (153,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 29 percent (184,000) in 2017.¹

Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.²

(NOTE: Selecting for age 0-8, state, and race can yield small cell sizes that can make percentages less accurate. Bars marked with S indicate data with extremely small cell sizes, which is not displayed. Bars marked with C should be interpreted with caution. Though the cell sizes are larger, they still fall below a threshold of reliability.)

Advocacy Landscape:

State General Fund Appropriations: Growing

Massachusetts’ governor signed the state’s fiscal 2025 budget into law in July of 2024. The fiscal 2025 budget provides for general appropriations of $57.7 billion, after line-item vetoes of $317 million to ensure budget balance, representing a 1.1 percent increase over fiscal 2024 projected spending and a 3.0 percent increase over originally enacted appropriations for fiscal 2024. The state’s January 2024 consensus revenue forecast had projected state tax revenues at $40.2 billion in fiscal 2025, a 2.0 percent increase over revised fiscal 2024 estimates at that time, in addition to $1.3 billion from the voter-approved 4 percent “fair share” surtax for education and transportation initiatives. As of June 26, the Commonwealth Stabilization (or “rainy day”) Fund had a balance of $8.44 billion.³

Largest Per Capita Revenue Sources (After Federal Transfers):⁴

- Individual Income Taxes: $2,814 per capita
- Property Taxes: $2,797 per capita

State Budget Rules:⁴

Massachusetts uses an annual budget. The legislature must pass and the governor must sign a balanced budget, but a deficit can be carried over into the following year. Massachusetts further limits revenue growth, but the limit may be overridden by a simple legislative majority. There are also limits on total authorized debt and debt service incurred by the state.

Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood: Yes

Massachusetts established the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Grants to support early education and care providers cover the costs of operating programs and supporting workforce costs.

Political Alignment: Aligned Democrat

During the 2024 session, the state’s Senate and House were both Democrat controlled. The state’s Governor was also a Democrat.⁵

Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:⁶Five

- Legislature-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – A constitutional amendment that appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
- Voter-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – An amendment to a state’s constitution that comes about through the initiative process.
- Legislature-Initiated State Statutes – Appear on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
- Voter-Initiated State Statutes – Earn a spot on the ballot when sponsors collect signatures according to the laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts.
- Veto Referenda – When citizens of Massachusetts disagree with a statute or legislative bill enacted by the state legislature, they can collect signatures to force the issue to a vote. If enough signatures are collected, the bill is placed on the statewide ballot.

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:⁷

2024 Policy Progress:

Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:⁸

The Department of Early and Education and Care budget sustained Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) child care operations grants with state funding totaling $475 million.

Common Start Coalition priorities for early education and care passed in the FY25 state budget through outside section language. Policy highlights include:

- Codifying C3 grants into law and outlining C3 funding formula and eligibility requirements.
- Advancing workforce development through ECE scholarship, loan forgiveness, and career ladder.
- Requesting a methodology to calculate and assess the cost of providing high-quality early education and care, thereby signaling a commitment to fund child care at the cost of quality.

Ongoing Grantee Areas of Advocacy:

The Alliance’s lead ally in Massachusetts, Strategies for Children, works to ensure that young children, families, and early childhood professionals in Massachusetts have the support they need to thrive. In partnership with early childhood stakeholders, SFC works to convene, connect, advocate, and develop policy solutions, leading to the public investments needed for the continued recovery and growth of the early education and care field. In 2023, Strategies for Children released The Early Childhood Agenda, 10 priorities for building a stronger early childhood system, informed by parents and providers throughout the state.

Strategies for Children is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:

Early Care and Education

Child Care

Child Care Workforc

Pre-School and Pre-K

Child and
Maternal Health

Family
Supports

Family Economic Security

Early Childhood Infrastructure

Data Systems

Early Childhood Finance and Cost Modeling

Click here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.

RECENT ADVOCACY SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

¹Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.

²National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 through 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, October 2024, NCCP analysis of ACS 5-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2018-2022.

³National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2025.

⁴Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, June 2024.

⁵National Conference of State Legislatures, 2024 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, April 29, 2024.

⁶Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved July, 2024.

⁷Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.

⁸Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2024; and 2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, July, 2024.