Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $1.4 Million in Registered Apprenticeship Grants for 250+ Early Childhood Educators

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $1.4 Million in Registered Apprenticeship Grants for 250+ Early Childhood Educators

NEW BEDFORD – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $1.4 million in Grants for Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in Workforce (GROW) grants to five organizations to train and place 256 apprentices in early childhood education careers across Massachusetts. This new announcement is part of a series of strategic investments by the Administration to strengthen the early childhood workforce, including a $5 million award from the U.S. Department of Labor last September to scale Registered Apprenticeship Programs and as well as a $1.8 million investment announced last December to expand the educator talent pipeline.

 

Since January 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded $13.5 million in Registered Apprenticeship GROW grants, of which $4.7 million has supported Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs. Registered Apprenticeship provides individuals with paid work experience including classroom instruction and on-the-job training combined with securing nationally recognized credentials, progressive wage increases, and economic mobility and advancement.

 

“Early childhood educators are essential to our economy and to working families across Massachusetts. That’s why our administration is making real investments to grow this workforce and create clear pathways into these careers,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Through registered apprenticeship programs, we are helping people earn while they learn, supporting providers who want to expand, and making it easier for families to access the high-quality early education they depend on. This is how we strengthen our workforce and build a more affordable, competitive Massachusetts.”

 

“Access to a skilled workforce is essential to meeting the growing demand for early childhood educators,“ said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “By combing classroom and on-the-job experience, registered apprenticeships are helping us prepare a workforce that our communities rely on.”

 

Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones made the announcement at Little People’s College, an early education and childcare provider partnering with Fisher College, which received a $250,000 grant to register a new early childhood education apprenticeship program and enroll four apprentice cohorts with co-sponsors in Brockton, New Bedford, Watertown, Fall River, Plymouth, and Dartmouth.

 

“The Healey-Driscoll administration continues to expand registered apprenticeship to create careers for residents and connects employers to skilled workers,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “As we invest in a more affordable, accessible, and quality child care system to drive the state’s economic competitiveness, growing the number of early childhood educators in Massachusetts 1) benefits caregivers in need of this infrastructure so they can work, 2) prepares our youngest learners at an early age, and 3) jumpstarts careers for untapped talent interested in becoming educators.”

 

The Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) is responsible for helping employers develop and maintain a successful registered apprenticeship program on behalf of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. DAS supports over 900 active apprenticeship programs. Construction and building trades apprenticeships comprise the majority of programs with nearly a quarter of registered apprentices in expansion industries such as health care, education, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.

 

“One of the objectives of Governor Healey’s Inter-Agency Early Education and Child Care Task Force is to find ways to build a more robust and diverse early childhood workforce,” said Secretary of Education Steve Zrike. “These registered apprenticeship programs create meaningful, career-connected pathways into early childhood education, while ensuring our youngest learners are supported by well-prepared, highly skilled educators.”

 

“We can’t expand access to early childhood education without an early childhood workforce. Registered apprenticeship gives employers a proven way to hire, train, and retain talented educators,” said Undersecretary of Labor Josh Cutler.

“We are so excited to continue investing in Registered Apprenticeship Programs that strengthen and expand the early childhood education workforce. said Director of the Division of Apprentice Standards Lara Thomas. These grants will create pathways that help individuals build meaningful careers while ensuring families have access to high-quality care and education.

 

Expanding registered apprenticeship for early childhood education is a priority among the Administration’s “whole of government” Early Education and Child Care Task Force recommendations. The Division of Apprentice Standards and the Department of Early Education and Care have worked collaboratively over the past year to engage and scale registered apprenticeship.

 

“Registered apprenticeships in early education and care are the fastest growing in the state, reflecting both strong demand and growing interest in the field,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “Investing in this model gives aspiring educators the chance to earn while they learn — building skills, gaining experience, and strengthening the workforce that supports our youngest learners.”

 

GROW Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship Grant Recipients:

 

The following is a list of the 5 grant recipients, totaling $1.4 million projected to register, hire, and place 265 apprentices:

 

Community Teamwork (Lowell, MA): $100,000 to register a new ECE apprenticeship program and enroll a cohort of 20 apprentices at their Lowell location.

 

Fisher College (Boston): $250,000 to register a new ECE apprenticeship program and enroll 4 apprentice cohorts into co-sponsors in Brockton, New Bedford, Watertown, Fall River, Plymouth and Darthmouth.

G3 Works (Methuen): $249,970 to register a new ECE apprenticeship program and recruit and train 60 new apprentices to work in communities identified as childcare facilities in Northeastern and Southeastern MA.

 

Neighborhood Villages (Boston): $220,000 to enroll 35 new apprentices in Greater Boston.

YMCA Greater Boston (Boston): $600,000 to enroll 100 new apprentices throughout Greater Boston