Press Release: 7/21/2021

Baker-Polito Administration Awards $7.5 Million to Early Education Programs

Baker-Polito Administration Awards $7.5 Million to Early Education Programs:



Thirty-Six Organizations Awarded Grants to Develop and Renovate Child Care Facilities



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2021

Contact: Martha A. Waldron 

(617) 716-9034

martha.a.waldron@mass.gov



East Boston — The Baker-Polito Administration and the Children’s Investment Fund (CIF), with its affiliate the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), awarded $7.5 million in Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund (EEOST) capital improvement grants to thirty-six organizations to renovate childcare facilities that serve primarily low-income families. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito made the announcement today at East Boston Social Centers, a child care provider in East Boston that serves more than 300 children.   



 

The grants to child care centers and out-of-school time programs range from $100,000-$250,000, and this year the emphasis shifted to provide capital funding needed to address health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.

 

The capital grants support major renovation and construction projects at early education and out-of-school time facilities to improve the quality of learning environments for children in Massachusetts.

 

“Our Administration is pleased to support childcare providers across the Commonwealth who have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to care for children and support families returning to work,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  "Since the start of this grant program, we’ve invested more than $39.2 million in capital funding at childcare programs that impact the learning experiences of more than 9,000 children in communities across Massachusetts.”

 

"These awards announced today – which mark the largest total amount awarded since the inception of the EEOST grants – will improve child care programs across the state,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. "Now more than ever, as families return to workplaces, investments in early education and care settings are vital to provide necessary resources to children and their families through high-quality early childhood education and out-of-school time programs.”

 

The Early Education and Out of School Time capital improvement grants are financed through the state's capital budget and provide matching funds that leverage private investment. More than $200 million in public and private investments have been leveraged throughout the life of the grant program.  The Baker-Polito Administration's FY21 Capital Budget Plan included funding for the Early Education and Out of School Time capital improvement grant program.

 

EEOST was designed to support the learning and healthy development of young children, many of whom spend more than 40 hours a week in early learning and after-school settings. Approximately 80% of the children in EEOST-funded programs are from low-income families. EEOST grants transform these learning environments so that children have safe, developmentally appropriate spaces.

 

“With these critical investments, we can help child care providers, serving low-income communities, improve their facilities in order to boost quality and provide young learners with resources to succeed in the classroom and beyond,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. “We are pleased to provide these critical resources necessary to sustain the Commonwealth’s essential childcare infrastructure.”

 

“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn in high-quality, safe, healthy, and joyous education environments,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy. “Well-designed classrooms and play spaces can greatly enhance early learning and support children to grow and thrive." 

 

“This year’s grants will reach five times as many providers as last year,” said Theresa Jordan, Director of the Children’s Investment Fund, an affiliate of CEDAC.  “It is funding critical improvements needed during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing the enormous effort undertaken by child care providers over the past year to create safe environments for children.”



The following organizations received grants:






































































































































































































Project Location

 


Applicant

 
Funding
Beverly Beverly Children's Learning Center $207,000
Boston Kwong Kow Chinese School $146,000
Boston United South End Settlements $250,000
Brockton Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro South $177,000
Brockton Fuller Arts & Sciences dba Westfield Child Center $115,000
Brockton Brockton Day Nursery $131,000
Brockton Old Colony YMCA $247,000
Dorchester Catholic Charities Yawkey Child Care Center $179,000
Dorchester Greenwood Shalom Outreach Community, Inc. $250,000
Dudley Boys and Girls Club of Webster-Dudley $204,000
East Boston East Boston Social Centers $227,000
Framingham SMOC $250,000
Gloucester Pathways for Children $250,000
Haverhill YMCA of the North Shore (Haverhill YMCA) $242,000
Holyoke Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke $250,000
Holyoke Holyoke YMCA $200,000
Lawrence Community Day Care Center of Lawrence, Inc. (d.b.a. The Community Group) $102,000
Lawrence YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts $243,000
Lynn YMCA of Metro North $186,000
Lynn Boys and Girls Club of Lynn $250,000
Nantucket Small Friends on Nantucket $129,000
New Bedford PACE $250,000
New Bedford YMCA Southcoast $250,000
New Bedford West End Day Nursery $250,000
North Adams Child Care of the Berkshires $207,000
Revere For Kids Only Afterschool $247,000
Roxbury Hattie B. Cooper Community Center $250,000
Roxbury Paige Academy $250,000
Roxbury YMCA of Greater Boston $221,000
Somerville Elizabeth Peabody House Association $205,000
Springfield Springfield Day Nursery (d.b.a Square One) $157,000
Stoneham Boys and Girls Clubs of Stoneham and Wakefield $225,000
Waltham Waltham Boys and Girls Club $105,000
West Springfield West Springfield Boys and Girls Club $250,000
Whitinsville George Marston Whitin Memorial Community Association (d.b.a. The Whitin Community Center) $250,000
Worcester YWCA of Central Massachusetts $142,000
     


All the programs receiving a grant award serve publicly subsidized families and have demonstrated financial need. All the grantees are non-profit corporations or organizations in which a non-profit corporation has a controlling interest. The Department of Early Education and Care partners with CEDAC's affiliate, the Children's Investment Fund, to administer the grants.