More Massachusetts families will receive financial assistance for childcare this fall. The state added funding to shrink a waitlist that had swelled to roughly 31,000 children.
The 2026 supplemental budget includes $31.2 million to expand child-care access. But the new funding will only reach a fraction of those waiting.
“There are many families who are on the waiting list, who may be sitting on the sidelines for employment opportunities or working split shifts with a spouse,” said Amy Kershaw, early education and care commissioner. “We’re really excited about being able to reach those families who we know are eager to get back into the workforce.”
Some families have waited for years to receive government assistance that dramatically reduces the cost of childcare, which is notoriously expensive in Massachusetts. Infant care at a facility or center costs an average of $27,000 a year. The Child Care Financial Assistance program can place an otherwise unaffordable expense within reach or cover the entire cost for some families.
Kershaw estimates that the new funding will translate into 2,000 more children receiving financial help.
Still, tens of thousands of others will remain on the waitlist.
The program receives state and federal funding, and provides income-based assistance to nearly 40,000 children.
The state is not alone in struggling with a long waitlist for childcare assistance. Hundreds of thousands of eligible children across 23 states and Washington, D.C., are waiting for similar aid, according to an Associated Press analysis.
A next step in Massachusetts is to clean up the state’s waitlist which may include families who no longer want or need assistance, Kershaw said. The program’s new system requires those on the waitlist to confirm their continued interest every 12 months, but the state hadn’t started those annual renewals as of May.
The Department of Early Education and Care will begin notifying families that they’ll receive assistance in September.
Families can now qualify with incomes up to 85% of the state’s median — about $141,000 for a family of four.
Kershaw said staff will first reach out to those who’ve been waiting the longest or fall into priority groups such as families experiencing homelessness or children with disabilities.
