BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration awarded nearly $2 million through the Employer Child Care Innovation Fund (ECCIF) pilot to support partnerships between employers, child care providers and community organizations that will expand access to affordable, reliable child care across Massachusetts. 

 

Awardee Berkshire United Way received $400,000

 

The grants will help working families find the care they need while helping employers recruit and retain the workforce they depend on.  

 

Launched in 2024, the Employer Child Care Innovation Fund encourages employer-led solutions that expand child care capacity, support care during nontraditional work hours and develop new employer-supported child care models. The initiative reflects the Healey-Driscoll Administration's commitment to making Massachusetts more affordable while strengthening the state's workforce and economy. 

 

"Finding affordable, reliable child care shouldn't stand between parents and a good job," said Governor Maura Healey. "These partnerships will help families access the care they need, help businesses recruit and retain talented employees, and make Massachusetts more affordable and competitive." 

 

This year's grantees represent employers and community partners from across Massachusetts, reflecting a range of industries, business sizes and regional needs. Their projects will expand child care capacity, increase access during nontraditional work hours and pilot employer-supported child care models that can be replicated across the state.

 

The selected projects will pilot employer-supported child care models that reflect the needs of Massachusetts workers and businesses, including expanded infant care, care during nontraditional work hours, employer-funded child care assistance, and new technology to connect families with available care. Together, these projects will serve workers in industries such as health care, human services and hospitality while testing approaches that can be expanded statewide. 

 

The Employer Child Care Innovation Fund, administered by Commonwealth Corporation in partnership with the Department of Early Education and Care, is part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's broader strategy to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care while strengthening the Commonwealth's workforce. The initiative advances the work of the administration's Inter-Agency Early Education and Child Care Task Force and builds on historic investments included in the recently signed the Fiscal Year 2027 state budget, including continued support for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) program, the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI), and $1.2 billion in child care financial assistance to help approximately 72,000 children and their families afford care. 

 

The administration will recognize this year's recipients at a celebration later this summer. The event will feature a roundtable discussion with grantees, employers, and child care leaders to showcase the innovative partnerships made possible through the program and explore how employer-supported child care can help strengthen Massachusetts' workforce and economy.