Summer 2017 Newsletter

Lt. Governor Polito Announces Five New EEOST Recipients

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito announced the FY17 award recipients of the Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) Capital Fund grants on August 31, 2017 in Webster. Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) hosted the event at the former Town Senior Center, which will be redeveloped into a new child care facility with EEOST funding. Other speakers included U.S. Representative Jim McGovern, State Senator Ryan Fattman, State Representative Joseph McKenna, Massachusetts Secretary of Education James Peyser, Massachusetts Commissioner of Early Education and Care Tom Weber, and Webster Town Administrator Doug Willardson. Theresa Jordan, Director of Children’s Facilities Finance at Children’s Investment Fund also spoke at the event.

In 2015, WCAC’s Head Start program was displaced from its center in Oxford due to roof damage caused by the severe winter. The $600,000 EEOST grant award will allow WCAC to return its program and the displaced children to the Webster community in fall 2018.

This year’s other award recipients include Child Care of the Berkshires in North Adams, Belchertown Day School, Inc. in Belchertown, YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts in New Bedford, and Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. in Roxbury. The $4.1 million in FY17 grant awards will improve the quality of learning environments for 301 children, increase the capacity of these programs to serve an additional 75 children, and support the creation of 13 educator positions and 72 construction jobs.

The EEOST Capital Fund provides capital grants up to $1 million to large group early education and out-of-school time programs for major capital facilities projects. CEDAC and Children’s Investment Fund work closely with the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) to administer the program. Since the creation of EEOST, $15.2 million in grants has been awarded to 21 agencies across Massachusetts. This state resource has leveraged $36 million in additional investment from foundations, banks, and other private sources.

The FY18 EEOST funding round application materials and guidelines are now posted – $3.6 million is available. Please visit EEC’s FY18 Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund Program website for more information.