Early childhood educators will now be eligible to apply for the first student loan payments in Massachusetts, the Healey administration announced Tuesday.
“Early educators support children’s development, help parents to participate in the workforce, and strengthening our local economies,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “By helping relieve the burden of student loan debt, we’re making it easier for talented educators to stay in the field and continue supporting children and families across Massachusetts.”
The $15 million Early Childhood Educator Loan Repayment Program will give eligible educators up to $7,500 per recipient per year, subject to appropriation, state officials said. The program is designed to “support workforce retention by reducing the financial burden of student loan debt.”
The repayment program is Massachusetts’s first solely dedicated to early education professionals, though the educators were previously eligible for general loan repayment opportunities.
Eligible educators including those with “Family Child Care (FCC), center-based programs, after school and out-of-school time (ASOST) programs, residential placement programs and contracted FCC systems who work directly with children, families, or other educators,” the state said.
Applicants must have completed a qualifying bachelor’s degree from a public or private higher education institute in Massachusetts after July 2013 and be working for an EEC-licensed or funded early education and care program, the administration stated. Educators with five or more years in the field or serving “children and families with high needs or in regions facing shortages of early education and care seats” will be given priority.
“Prioritizing experienced educators and those working in high-need communities ensures this investment supports both workforce retention and equitable access to high-quality early learning,” said Acting Education Secretary and Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw.
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The ECE program received $7.5 million in the FY 2025 budget and an additional $7.5 million in the Fair Share supplemental budget for FY 2025.
The loan repayment initiative follows efforts throughout the Healey administration to expand early childcare across the state, including an expansion of 22,000 seats since before the pandemic and a $37 million investment in universal access to pre-K through the “Gateway to Pre-K” agenda.
Applications for the loan repayment will be open through June 1, 2026, and more information about eligiblity is available through Mass.edu/ECELoanRepayment.
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