Thank you for investing in early education and care in the FY24 state budget.

Dear legislator:

As a constituent, I thank you for investing in the continued recovery and sustainability of the early education and care field, and the young children and families we serve.

The FY24 state budget is a historic high point for Massachusetts early education and care, with $1.5 billion in funding. This is a 22% increase over the previous fiscal year. Thank you for overriding the governor's vetoes, and investing the maximum amount of funding possible in early education and care this year. The systemic change we continue to seek - to stabilize and grow the early childhood sector so it will be a healthy, thriving industry for decades to come - is now more attainable thanks to your support. 

This year's budget includes $475 million for C3 operational grants to early education and care programs [line item 3000-1045], funding for rate increases for workforce salaries [3000-1041, 3000-1042, and 1596-2434], preschool expansion [3000-6025 and 1596-2412], early education and care capital improvements [1596-2429] and more. For a full recap, visit Strategies for Children's budget webpage: http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/state_budget.html

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to high-quality early education and care, for young children, families, educators, and communities.