Building Blocks: Status of Child Care Reform in Massachusetts and What Comes Next

The Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) system is an integral and complex part of the Commonwealth’s multi-pronged early education and care system, serving over 65,000 children across the state. CCFA serves Massachusetts’ most vulnerable populations, from lower-income children to families experiencing homelessness. Funding for early education and care has more than doubled in Massachusetts since the pandemic and policy makers have placed increased emphasis on supporting the sector and expanding the quality and capacity of care. In 2023, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) released a report which made several recommendations on reforms that should be made to CCFA to ensure greater system efficiency, family engagement, outcomes for children, and support for providers.

Since then, the state has made significant progress in implementing many of these past recommendations. This report builds on past research to provide an update on where CCFA is now in reference to those recommendations and look ahead. Where are we now? Where have recommendations been completed and where is there still work to do? This report examines these questions and provides suggested next steps for further reforms to the Commonwealth’s early education and care system.