麻州政府推出「我的托兒服務」一站式申請資助平台

(Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州政府今（7）日宣佈，推出「我的托兒服務（MyChildCareMA）」，一個現代化，支持多語，方便手機使用的麻州托兒服務資助（CCFA）申請平台。

「我的托兒服務（MyChildCareMA）」是經由麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey）的《未來科技法案（FutureTech Act）》及資本投資計畫（Capital Investment Plan）支持開發的網路平台，讓麻州家庭能在這平台上，一站式的完成托兒服務資助的申請、進度追蹤及個案管理等作業，大幅度簡化以往的繁瑣行政流程。

「我的托兒服務」資助申請網路平台和「我的麻州政府（MyMassGov）」網路平台的聯動，整合，統一以往分散的作業系統，更新使用的科技軟體，為家長與托兒服務提供者解決了在多個系統間切換的困擾。

麻州副州長Kim Driscoll指出，新門戶網站將所有需求集中於一處，為家長和托兒服務提供者建立出更好的透明度與便利性，將來還可擴展內容，把候補名單管理、資格審核及款項支付等都包括進去，更加完善個案管理，甚至和其他機構合作，把資格審查和入學註冊，都包括進去，以確保居民申請政府服務時，不會找錯機構。

麻州教育廳廳長瑞克（Steve Zrike）與技術服務暨安全秘書長史奈德（Jason Snyder）均強調，這項投資反映了政府致力於打造簡單、安全且易於取得的數位服務。早期教育與照護局（Department of Early Education and Care, EEC）局長科肖（Amy Kershaw）表示，MyChildCareMA 是 EEC 2026-2030 年戰略行動計畫中的關鍵組成部分，展現了以家庭為中心的行政轉型。除了科技更新，政府的配套辦法也放寬了收入限制，將申請資格從麻州收入中位數的 50% 提高至 85%，並自 2023 財政年度起增加了 1.675 億美元的提供者報銷額度。

包括麻州參議會議長斯皮爾卡（Karen E. Spilka）、參議員路易斯（Jason Lewis）以及多家非營利組織（如 Strategies for Children、麻州 Head Start 協會、麻州青年會聯盟等）負責人均對此表示支持。他們認為，減少文書障礙與提升系統的可及性，是邁向托兒照護體系公平的重要一步，能讓托育機構將更多精力從行政作業轉向直接支持兒童與家庭的成長。家長現可透過 Mass.gov/EEC 網站獲取更多使用指引與資源。

Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches New Family Portal to Help Parents, Caregivers Pay for Child Care 

MyChildCareMA portal creates a more user-friendly, streamlined and family-centered child care financial assistance system experience

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the launch of MyChildCareMA, a modern, mobile-friendly and multilingual family portal for the state’s Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) programs. Families can now apply for child care financial assistance, track application progress, and manage their cases through a single, streamlined platform.

MyChildCareMA was supported through Governor Maura Healey’s FutureTech Act and Capital Investment Plan (CIP). This improved user experience will make it easier for families to apply for help paying for care, ease administrative burdens on child care providers and improve program integrity and transparency.

“Massachusetts consistently ranks as one of the best places in the country to raise a family because we make real investments for families to be able to afford child care and other supportive services,” said Governor Maura Healey.“We’re proud of the work our administration is doing to make it easier for families to get the help they need, and MyChildCareMA is a big step forward. It makes it simpler, faster, and more transparent for families to apply for and manage child care financial assistance all in one place.”

“Families across Massachusetts deserve systems that are responsive and reliable,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The new portal brings everything into one place, making it easier for parents and caregivers to apply for assistance, stay informed, and manage their child care needs with greater confidence and convenience.”

The system is part of the MyMassGov state services platform. Families can log in using the same credentials they use for other MyMassGov services with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), or they can create a new account to get started. 

The underlying technical systems supporting the CCFA programs are out of date, and families and child care providers must navigate multiple systems to accomplish just one task. MyChildCareMA will eventually serve as both a family portal and case management system, delivering a more accessible, dignified, and user-friendly digital experience. The unified case management system will include managing the child care financial assistance waitlist, application and eligibility determination, and payments. EEC will also be better prepared to work with other agencies on Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment so there is no wrong door for Massachusetts residents accessing government services.

 

“Families want to be able to access government services at the time and places that work for them, in their common language and on a mobile device. The new MyChildCareMA family portal is part of our efforts to transform the child care financial assistance system into what families and providers want and deserve,” said Secretary of Education Steve Zrike. “This is Team Massachusetts at its best. I want to thank Governor Healey for prioritizing IT modernizations that help families access and pay for care and all of the teams across state government who helped make this exciting portal possible.”

 “The ChildCareMA launchreflects exactly the kind of IT capital investment we should be making to deliver digital government services that are simple, secure, and accessible to every resident,” said Technology Services and Security Secretary Jason Snyder. “By investing in solutions like this, we are not only modernizing state IT, but also building a more responsive government that meets people where they are.”

“This launch represents a major step forward in how we serve families across Massachusetts,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “MyChildCareMA reflects a family-centered approach that prioritizes a more dignified, accessible user experience, while also advancing our work to modernize technology systems to better support families and those who serve them.”

The MyChildCareMA family portal is one of four foundational components of the Department of Early Education and Care’s (EEC) information technology (IT) modernization efforts outlined in the agency’s 2026–2030 Strategic Action Plan. This initiative advances the agency’s Family Access strategic objective, which focuses on simplifying and enhancing how families connect with early education and care resources.

Modernizing IT through MyChildCareMA is also one part of a broader set of CCFA reforms to improve access and better support families and providers. The administration has streamlined regulations to simplify applications and reduce paperwork, and raised income eligibility from 50 percent to 85 percent of state median income, and, for the first time in 15 years, re-procured provider contracts to strengthen standards and improve service delivery. These efforts are complemented by these investments in new, user-friendly technology and a $167.5 million increase in provider reimbursement rates since Fiscal Year 2023, as well as federal approval to move toward a cost-based methodology for setting rates.

 "Accessing financial assistance for childcare should be simple," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland).  “When we make it easier for families to get the support they've already earned, we make Massachusetts stronger. I applaud the Healey-Driscoll Administration for creating this family portal, which is an important step forward for working families across the Commonwealth."

“Families deserve a simple, straightforward way to apply for and track their child care financial assistance from the state,” said Senator Jason Lewis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “The new MyChildCareMA portal will provide just that to improve access and transparency and to just make life a little easier.”

EEC will continue to provide resources and support to families and partners as they begin using the new system. For more information and guidance, please visit the EEC website at Mass.gov/EEC.