FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 30, 2025

CONTACT:

Kim N. Le, kim.le@mass.gov , 617-823-4874

Healey-Driscoll Administration Brings Universal Pre-K Access
Road Show to Worcester

WORCESTER — The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) continued its statewide Universal Pre-K Access Road Show today in Worcester, the third stop on the tour spotlighting the state’s various early childhood education partnerships and ongoing commitment to expanding access to high-quality preschool for all children through the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI). The event brought together families, early educators, local officials, and community partners to discuss and shape the Commonwealth’s vision for universal access to high-quality pre-kindergarten.

During the visit, EEC Commissioner Amy Kershaw joined local leaders and educators at the YWCA Central Massachusetts to visit a CPPI classroom and participate in a round table discussion about the city’s progress in planning and implementation.

“We are grateful to our partners in Worcester for hosting us and sharing their commitment to expanding access to high-quality preschool opportunities in the city,” said EEC Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “We’re excited to see the energy and momentum on display today in Worcester and look forward to continuing our partnership to promote the educational success of the Community’s youngest learners and the economic mobility of their families.”

Worcester is in the early stages of CPPI implementation, building on the previous planning in partnership with two community-based programs, the Guild of St. Agnes and the Worcester YWCA. In the current phase, the partners are engaged in strategic planning activities with stakeholders throughout the community and piloting work that aligns with CPPI priority areas, including aligned curriculum across classrooms in both the partner organizations and the public school, and conducting Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observations to collect data on future professional development needs.

Participants of the round table discussion shared personal experiences and offered input on how to make early education more accessible, affordable, and inclusive, and educators spoke about the importance of professional support and resources.

“The CPPI grant is truly re-envisioning the early education and care field by providing a high-quality mixed-delivery model, strong foundation for early learning and most importantly supports for families and educators,” said Darlene Belliveau, Director of Children’s Services at the YWCA Central Massachusetts. “The grant has provided coaching and modeling for individualized guidance to help refine practices and serves as a guide for educators to emulate. Our goal is to develop a single point of entry system that is user-friendly for families and develop enhanced data systems.”

“Worcester has a very tight-knit provider community whose members have been working together for years to support our families,” said Sharon MacDonald, President and CEO at the Guild of St. Agnes. “The CPPI funding allows this partnership to grow, allowing us to increase services to children and families, particularly by enabling the Worcester Public Schools to serve children with special needs directly in their early education and care centers. This model allows children whose parents need full-day, full-year care to stay in their child care center, while receiving services from the Worcester Public Schools’ special education department right in their center.  The model also frees up more openings in the public-school preschool classrooms, greatly reducing the waitlist for those seats. The Guild is thrilled to be part of this initiative.”

While in Worcester, EEC Commissioner Kershaw also met with leaders from the Worcester Public Schools to talk about the city’s continued commitment to the program, the benefit of local partnerships, and their approach to comprehensive preschool services throughout the community.

These visits are part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s broader Gateway to Pre-K initiative, which is investing more than $20 million across Massachusetts to expand access to preschool, especially in Gateway Cities and rural communities. Worcester’s stop follows productive events in Somerville and Northampton, with additional visits planned in the coming months across different regions of the state.

Governor Healey’s FY26 budget and related Fair Share supplemental budget funds CPPI at $25 million for FY26, with additional funding to expand access over 3 years. The expansion would allow CPPI to reach the remaining 7 Gateway Cities not currently funded, as well as enable 12 current grantees move to full implementation. In total, funding would be available for 37 districts to continue efforts to create systemic alignment and coordination, strategic expansion, and efficient investments to make on-the-ground progress towards the goal of universal access to preschool in the Commonwealth.

EEC intends to release opportunities to apply for CPPI grants in FY26 through a staged process subject to the availability of funding. Learn more about CPPI at Mass.gov/CPPI.

 

###