Massachusetts
Working families in Massachusetts need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Massachusetts. But too many working families in Massachusetts are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Massachusetts economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
In the state, 73% of children have all available parents participating in the workforce, while the average cost of care is $26,343 a year (or $2,195 per month).
More than 13,500 children ages 5 and under have child care costs subsidized through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), or 12% of those eligible. The average copay with a CCDBG subsidy is $284 a month.
11.5K children receive care, learning, nutrition, and other services at no cost through Early Head Start/Head Start (or 12% of those eligible for Early Head Start and 34% of those eligible for Head Start).
And 143.1K working families have the cost of their child care offset through the Child + Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC).
However, many working parents still struggle to access affordable, quality child care, which costs the state’s economy an estimated $4.6 billion each year in lost earnings and productivity.
Massachusetts: In The Headlines
Head Start programs face funding squeeze
Commonwealth Beacon | aPRIL 16, 2026
The 60-year-old federally funded program for children from low-income families is navigating what advocates describe as a painful stretch of uncertainty.
Child care deserts: the high cost of early education for parents and daycares
WGGB | jULY 30, 2026
Official data from the Commonwealth shows about 70 percent of infants and 43 percent of toddlers live in an access desert.
Raising A Child Is Getting Even More Expensive In MA
Patch | July 1, 2026
Massachusetts is now the eighth most expensive state to raise a child in.
Massachusetts Resources & News
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FFYF State Fact Sheets: Child Care and Early Learning, 2026
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Massachusetts: Federal Support for Early Learning & Care Opportunities
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