麻州政府撥款17萬元給2大專院校加強培訓多元化及行為健康人才

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards Middlesex Community College and UMass Boston $170,000 to Strengthen and Diversify the Behavioral Health Workforce   

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that the Department of Higher Education is awarding grants to two public campuses in Massachusetts for efforts to strengthen and diversify the behavioral health workforce. Through grants of $70,000 to Middlesex Community College and $100,000 and the University of Massachusetts – Boston, the institutions will partner with behavioral health providers to promote workforce training, assess the behavioral health education landscape, and plan for growth and diversification in the workforce.   

“As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, we owe many thanks to our behavioral health professionals,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our administration is working in partnership with the Legislature to grow and diversify the behavioral health workforce to support our hardworking providers and make sure Massachusetts residents get the high-quality care they deserve.”  

“We’re proud to support the pipeline of behavioral health professionals in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We need more qualified professionals in the behavioral health field who represent the diversity of the communities they serve, and these programs will help us advance in those goals.”  

The behavioral health grant program will help to ensure a culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse mental and behavioral health workforce, serving patients who need support in areas such as mental health diagnoses, physical and emotional trauma and addiction. This funding is intended to promote immediate workforce training responses in critical and actionable areas of need, while also launching a broader assessment of the landscape and which capabilities and gaps exist.    

“We must do the crucial work of understanding who our current behavioral health workforce is serving and where there are barriers to accessing effective care,” said Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler. “I am pleased to see two of our public institutions receiving funding to help us learn where the gaps in behavioral health care are, allowing us to be intentional about growing the workforce in a way that truly meets the needs of Massachusetts.”   

“Across our state, behavioral health providers are facing unprecedented challenges recruiting and retaining the staff they need,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh. “Massachusetts residents deserve a quality, competent behavioral health workforce, and I’m so grateful our administration is making investments at the ground level to grow and sustain this talent.”  

“The COVID-19 pandemic made clear that our communities need stronger mental health workforces that serve all who need care,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “Our public campuses are uniquely positioned to partner with local providers on addressing our behavioral health workforce needs, and I’m grateful that funds are available to advance this important work.”   

“Grants like these are essential to DMH and other mental health service providers in establishing different educational paths for a broad group of workforce to address long-term staffing and treatment needs,” said Department of Mental Health Commissioner Brooke Doyle. “We appreciate this effort to address staffing shortages and create a more diverse workforce, furthering our agency mission to provide, ‘Hope, Equity and Service’ for our staff and the people they serve.”  

UMass Boston will use the grant funds to launch Charting Paths: The MB-Health WEAVE Framework, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, healthcare provider organizations, and other academic institutions. The project aims to develop a comprehensive framework for behavioral health workforce planning.  

"As Boston's premier public research university, we are pleased to partner with the Healey-Driscoll Administration on creating a pipeline for a culturally competent behavioral health workforce. To adequately address the increased demand for behavioral health - especially with our young people - we need more providers, and I am proud UMass Boston is taking a leadership role with joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration,” said Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco.  

Middlesex Community College (MCC) plans to use the grant funds to expand its 16-credit Mental Health Peer Support Specialist (MHPSS) certificate program by adding a practicum experience in which 10 students will function as peer support professionals in human services environments.  

“Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Department of Education for the generous funding toward MCC’s Mental Health Peer Support Specialist program,” said Arlene Rodríguez, MCC’s Provost & Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs. “Middlesex understands the value that hands-on learning adds to a student’s education. This support will ensure students pursuing this path will gain the relevant experiences they need to be well-equipped to enter and transform the workforce.”   

“At Middlesex, we serve a diverse population of students who bring with them a rich variety of lived experiences and perspectives,” said Matthew Olson, MCC’s Associate Provost of Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives. “With MCC’s comprehensive and interactive learning opportunities, these students not only strengthen the workforce, but make mental health resources more accessible to people who have historically been underserved.”   

“For years, the Senate has been working to increase access to quality mental and behavioral health care, and one of the biggest challenges in doing so has been a shortage of behavioral health care workers,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “I am thrilled to see the Healey-Driscoll Administration direct these investments to support the development of a robust, diverse and culturally competent behavioral health care workforce. Not only will this help to meet our health care goals, we will be creating pathways for high-demand jobs for graduates.”  

“The importance of supporting behavioral health care is revealed to us more and more each day,” said House Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education Dave Rogers. “The grants provided today to Middlesex Community College and the University of Massachusetts – Boston offer such support and also were created with the importance of equity and diversity in mind. I applaud the Healey-Driscoll Administration for making these grants and look forward to our continued collaboration to invest in the behavioral health workforce.”    

"One of our Commonwealth’s greatest challenges is that we simply do not have enough providers working in the behavioral health space to meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents,” said Senator John Velis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “Building up a diverse workforce has been a priority of the Senate since the introduction of the Mental Health ABC Act, and I am beyond thrilled and grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s for their leadership on this critical issue today. These grants awarded by the Administration will not only help diversify our workforce pipeline but will also help identify any other gaps in our workforce so that we can address them together." 

“In FY24, the House of Representatives appropriated funding to support a mental health workforce pipeline program to encourage a culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse behavioral health workforce through collaboration between colleges and behavioral health providers,” said State Representative Adrian Madaro, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “Today, I’m thrilled to see the Healey-Driscoll administration implement these investments to help train and prepare the next generation of mental and behavioral health providers.” 

昆士市華裔男子詐騙銀行逾百萬元 法官判入獄2年

            (Boston Orange 編譯) 昆士居民Hui Zhang犯詐欺罪，存進銀行逾百萬元的假支票。美國地區法院法官Myong J. Joun在5月28日判他入獄兩年，監管3年，第一年為居家監禁，並須賠償103萬餘元。

                                現年42歲的Hui Zhang在今年3月認罪。

                                麻州美國檢察官辦公室指稱，在2020年6月至2022年5月之間，Hui Zhang以假身份開設銀行戶口，並以電子存款方式，存進大約114張偽造支票，總額逾百萬元。這些假支票是從一家波士頓的零售商那而來的。他存了支票後，經由提款機，從這些銀行帳戶提取了數十萬元。4

                                        2017年，張某曾因偽造支票等罪被判緩刑。 2018年，再被人發現他持有各種偽造信用卡、假身分證後，因身份詐欺罪被判入獄兩年。

                                此案由美國代理檢察官約書亞·利維 (Joshua S. Levy) 和聯邦調查局波士頓分部主管特工喬迪·科恩 (Jodi Cohen) 在5月28日宣佈，美國助理檢察官兼刑事司司長威廉·F·阿貝利 (William F. Abely) 起訴

波士頓大陳同鄉會慶40週年 明年組團紀念遷台70週年

部分出席大陳同鄉合影。前排右起，張韻蘭、吳孟啟(前右三起)，
梁景華、周仙梅、馬滌凡(前左一)等人。(周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 波士頓大陳同鄉會5月26日中午，匯聚百名嘉賓、鄉親，在華埠新月宮餐廳慶祝創會40週年。會長梁娜玲預告明年2月8日，大陳同鄉將在板橋舉辦遷台70週年聚會，計畫接著組團參訪大陳島。

              大陳同鄉創會會長周仙海(梅)憶述，該會是1983年波士頓台北經文事處處長林水吉時期成立的。經接任的張文忠處長提醒，他們在1990年12月正式註冊成麻州社團。

大陳同鄉會創會元老，右起，梁開雲，梁景華，吳孟啟，
梁自由，周仙海(梅)。(周菊子攝)

              40年來，該會從周仙海(梅)、吳繼福、毛再揚，鮑士玉到梁娜玲，共有5名會長，加上第二、第三代，約400餘會員。前會長中的吳繼福當天人在臺灣，毛再揚已回臺灣定居，鮑士玉則是從新罕布夏州搬到了亞特蘭大定居。

大陳同鄉會會長梁娜玲 (後左起)、鍾瑪麗，張雪娥，馬滌凡，蔣繼美，
潘昭榮等人祝賀游勝雄抽到當的最大獎，龍形美酒一樽。(周菊子攝

                     剛過80歲生日的周仙海透露，隨著時光流逝，大陳同鄉陸續退休，下一代又不願意接手餐廳，去年在阿靈頓的「上海邨」關門後，大波士頓就只剩下一家大陳同鄉餐廳了。吳孟啟在Winchester經營的「中天 (China Sky)」，由於兒子不願接手，也面對著後繼無人的煩惱。

在大波士頓和大陳同鄉淵源最深的游勝雄及張雪娥夫婦，馬滌凡和蔣繼美夫婦，這天都應邀出席，發表感言。

會長梁娜玲(左二)請五、六月份的壽星一起接受生日歌祝賀。(周菊子攝)

                     游勝雄1976年開始在大波士頓開餐廳，請的第二位大廚就是周仙梅。近年已改行經營商業房地產的游勝雄，當年在高峰時期，曾同時開設8家餐廳，員工幾乎全是大陳同鄉。他感謝大陳同鄉當年協助他經營餐館，大陳同鄉們則感謝游勝雄當年在他們初來乍到波士頓時，提供了工作機會，安定了生活。現任會長梁娜玲的父母，當年也曾經在游勝雄的餐廳中打工。

僑教中心主任潘昭榮稱許大陳同鄉會梁娜玲會長(右)能力超強。

                    馬滌凡則是因為經營吉利進出口公司，幾乎和所有的大陳同鄉當年都打過交道。她笑說當天在座的大陳同鄉，有90%都是她的客戶，一進門就開始打招呼，老中青三代，見到那麼多老朋友，實在讓人很激動。

紐英崙中華公所，波士頓國民黨，波士頓榮光會這天依序在主席雷國輝，常委張韻蘭，理事長鄭增壽率領中，各派出了一桌代表到賀。

波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮稱許梁娜玲會長能力超強，把慶祝會辦得那麼熱鬧。他說，期待以後的大陳同鄉聚會都聲勢那麼壯大。 (更新版)

紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝(右起)和中華公所董事們到賀。依序為陳秀珍，
余麗媖，周萬欽，陳余寶愛，翁宇才，陳建立，陳黃海藍，余立昌。(周菊子攝)

波士頓大陳同鄉會的臉書網頁為https://www.facebook.com/p/%E5%A4%A7%E9%99%B3%E5%90%8C%E9%84%89%E6%9C%83%E6%B3%A2%E5%A3%AB%E9%A0%93-100075757906730/?_rdr。

僑教中心主任潘昭榮(右起)和大陳同鄉會創會會長周仙海(梅)，張小慧，
大陳同鄉會現任會長梁娜玲，馮文鸞，游勝雄和張雪娥夫婦，馬滌凡、蔣繼美
夫婦合影。(周菊子攝)

國民黨波士頓常委張韻蘭(前左)，前常委李伍綺蓮(前右起)、
江文玲、袁建業夫婦等人一起參加大陳同鄉會40週年慶。(周菊子攝)

波士頓榮光會理事長鄭增壽(中)和張明燦(右二)、楊思聖(右一)

大陳同鄉會創會會長周仙海(梅)(左)慶幸該會有梁娜玲撐大局。
(周菊子攝)

2024 Boston Parks and Recreation Summer program guide now available

 2024 Boston Parks and Recreation Summer program guide now available

Looking for outdoor fun this summer? Check out the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's Summer Guide, a complete schedule of free events and activities for all ages. Visit boston.gov/parks to view the Summer Guide in a PDF version or visit our offices at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 3rd floor, to pick up your copy. Summer Guides are also available at Boston City Hall and select BCYF center locations. The guide features free activities throughout Boston’s parks including concerts, movies, fitness classes, sports centers, watercolor painting workshops, and fun children's activities. 

Highlights include:

• Summer Fitness Series

• The opening celebration at the Boston Common Frog Pond spray pool on June 25

• Arts & Craft Workshops for children ages 3 to 10

• Watercolor Workshops in June

• Movie Nights in parks citywide

• ParkARTS Neighborhood Concerts

• Sports Centers in East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, and Jamaica Plain

• Intimate concerts on our golf clubhouse patios

• The Tito Puente Latin Music Series in the South End, East Boston, Mission Hill, and Jamaica Plain

• Leagues and tournaments for basketball, pickleball, baseball, softball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and street hockey

• And much more!
  
  

To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks, call (617) 635-4505, visit Boston.gov/Parks, join our email list at bit.ly/Get-Parks-Emails, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

麻州政府撥款130萬元促進高等教育的公平

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $1.3 Million to Advance Equity in Higher Education

Projects include increasing Latino student enrollment, enhancing professional development opportunities, and promoting internships 

 
BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that they are awarding more than $1.3 million in Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) grants to projects that are collaborations between all 15 Massachusetts community colleges, state universities, and private institutions of higher education to advance racial equity. Projects include developing a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) certificate program, advancing best practices for student success and retention of underserved student populations, continuing the work of the Racial Equity and Justice Institute, and creating a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) conference.
 
“In Massachusetts, we’re proud to have significantly expanded access to higher education, including historic increases in financial aid, but work remains to ensure that students of all backgrounds have the resources and support they need to start and succeed in their higher education journey,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This investment reflects our commitment to enhancing educational opportunities and experiences for all students, particularly for our Black and Hispanic students.”
 
“These projects demonstrate how committed our public campuses are to collaborating on addressing issues of racial equity in higher education,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Massachusetts cannot truly be a leader in higher education until we are serving all students equitably.”
 
The Higher Education Innovation Fund grant program invests in helping colleges and universities reach their DEI goals. This program rewards cross-system collaboration, innovative thinking, and evidence-based practices at the campus and system levels.
 
“I often say that change is a process, not an event, and our Massachusetts colleges and universities are working hard to drive the process of change,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “We know there are racial disparities in college attainment, and these grants are part of larger efforts to create a public higher education system that serves all students equitably.”
 
“Building a more equitable landscape in higher education hinges on cultivating a culture of collaboration, and these systemwide and regional consortia demonstrate how our Commonwealth’s leaders are committed to working together to improve outcomes for students of color,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “The work of these campuses is crucial to Massachusetts’ efforts to ensure that all students with the talent and drive to complete a higher education have the same opportunity to succeed in doing so.”
  
"These Higher Education Innovation Fund grants will strengthen the ability of Commonwealth state universities and community colleges to be powerful equity engines," said Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. "I am grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for its continued focus on racial equity throughout the higher education system."
 
“I am grateful for the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s latest investment in the Higher Education Innovation Fund,” said Representative Dave Rogers (D-Cambridge), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. “The grants awarded will be critical in supporting the higher education system’s increasingly diverse student population. Importantly, this support will enhance equity and innovation for the benefit of the entire Commonwealth.”
 
“I am delighted by the additional support provided through the HEIF grant program by the Healey-Driscoll Administration. This funding allows state universities, and other public institutions, to deeply explore important issues in higher education such as racial equity, leadership and how to best welcome and support the growing Massachusetts Latino/a/e/x population,” said John D. Keenan, president of Salem State University and chair of the State University Council of Presidents.
 
“We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for awarding these HEIF grants,” said Jim Vander Hooven, president of Mount Wachusett Community College and the chair of the Community College Council of Presidents. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion is at the core of our mission to offer open, accessible higher education for all. These grants will allow us to continue the incredible work that our institutions are already doing to ensure that we are equipped to support our diverse student body and that all of our students have the tools they need to thrive.”
 
The projects are listed below, highlighting the institution serving as the grant lead, along with its partners on the initiative.
 
Bridgewater State University: $250,000
Partners: Berkshire Community College, Bridgewater State University, Cape Cod Community College, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Greenfield Community College, Holyoke Community College, MassBay Community College, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Massasoit Community College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Middlesex Community College, Mt. Wachusett Community College, North Shore Community College, Northern Essex Community College, Salem State University, Westfield State University, Worcester State University.  
 
The project, entitled the "Racial Equity and Justice Institute (REJI)," is intended to ensure racial equity tenets and practices are infused into all 18 Massachusetts partner institutions. The project proposes to 1) identify equity-minded key performance indicators (KPIs) that facilitate equitable student success, 2) develop assessment tools to gauge the developmental level of institutional functional units in the key performance, 3) curate developmentally specific materials and learning activities offered through a learning management system (LMS) aiding campuses in deepening their competencies in equity-minded student success-oriented activities in the focus areas of this project and, 4) provide analytics necessary to measure progress of each campus as they utilize the materials housed in the LMS. The highly regarded reputation of this project for transforming equity practices on campus has attracted interest beyond Massachusetts with 23 out-of-state institutions of higher education as additional members.
 
Springfield Technical Community College: $250,000
Partners: Berkshire Community College, Greenfield Community College, Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield College, and Westfield State University.
 
Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will initiate a second year of training, entitled “The Equity Leaders & Guides (EL&G) 2.0 Consortium Project.” This project builds upon the original 22-23 project, with the new objective to scale the EL&G framework to a regional hub model. The Communities of Practice formed from this consortium will discuss promising and best practices for student success and retention of under-served student populations in the Western Massachusetts region.
 
Salem State University: $247,165
Partners: Bunker Hill Community College, Holyoke Community College, MassBay Community College
 
The consortium partners will use the funding to intentionally welcome and enroll Latino students and prepare to better serve them. Activities will include the creation of a consortium planning committee, the delivery of campus specific professional development, development and delivery of high-impact practices, creation of student leadership summit for Latino and students of color, convening of a Hispanic Serving Institution conference and planning committee, and post-conference implementation.
 
Holyoke Community College: $230,340
Partners: Partners: All 15 Massachusetts community colleges
 
This project continues and builds upon the Massachusetts Community Colleges Equity Consortium (MCCEC) of all 15 community colleges. The MCCEC was created for the purpose of learning, sharing, and adopting equity and antiracist resources, policies, and practices. Planned activities for this grant funding include building upon the work of the HEIF 2023 Equity Ambassadors and the Faculty Fellows by establishing a sustainable statewide program for staff and faculty professional development. MCCEC’s purpose is to facilitate staff and faculty engagement with students in a way that recognizes and centers the cultural wealth students bring to their institutions.
 
Middlesex Community College: $168,813
Partners: Holyoke Community College and Northern Essex Community College
 
This project will provide a Community Leadership Credit Certificate (CLCC) to empower students to assume active leadership roles in their communities. An important component of this certificate program is internship placements, where students will learn communication, writing, organizing, leadership, and self-advocacy skills and, as a diverse group, will amplify the voices of community members who are traditionally underrepresented and marginalized in the decision-making processes.
 
North Shore Community College: $139,828
Partners: All 15 Community Colleges
 
This project, the Massachusetts Community College Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Consortium, builds on the Consortium’s progress by continuing to develop PLA options for a diverse student body. PLAs allow college credit to be earned for prior learning and work experience. Activities include aligning course equivalencies for transfer partnerships, enhancing marketing to Latino and Hispanic students, enhancing the PLA website for state practices, developing PLA opportunities for active military and service members and veterans, and supporting the Consortium.
 
Quinsigamond Community College: $51,968
Partners: Anna Maria College, Middlesex Community College, Worcester State University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute
 
This project will develop a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) certificate program as a critical role in creating inclusive campus environments. The objective of this non-credit certificate program is to further higher education faculty and staff appreciation of the diverse backgrounds, histories, and experiences students bring with them to better support their needs. The certificate program will engage participants in advanced DEI thematic work led by trained instructors and will be particularly important to Quinsigamond Community College as it prepares to apply for recognition as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) within the next several years. 

Healey-Driscoll Administration Expands Universal Pre-K Access in Eight Additional School Districts

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Expands Universal Pre-K Access in Eight Additional School Districts 

Expansion invests $1.7 million, adding 259 pre-k seats for children in Gateway Cities and rural communities  

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that eight school districts are receiving $1.7 million in new Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI) grants to further support their efforts to expand access to affordable high-quality preschool. Six currently participating districts will be expanding their efforts, adding 10 preschool classrooms, representing an additional 259 seats across public schools and community-based preschool programs. This includes Gloucester, Haverhill, Holyoke, Hoosac Valley (that covers Adams and Cheshire MA), New Bedford and Westfield school districts. 

Further, the administration is awarding $50,000 each to the Chicopee and Taunton school districts as new grantees to support planning and early implementation of a universal access to affordable high-quality preschool plan. These grants will support districts in building partnerships with local community-based early education and care programs, developing a leadership team, conducting a needs assessment, and drafting a strategic plan.  

“We know that the high cost of child care is holding back our families, our providers and our economy from their full potential. That’s why we have been focused on expanding access to affordable, high-quality preschool, creating new seats for children in Gateway Cities and rural communities across the state,” said Governor Healey. “Our ‘Gateway to Pre-K' agenda would build on this progress by expanding high-quality pre-k access to even more communities, lowering costs for more families, and ensuring our hardworking providers have the support they need to deliver high-quality care.”   

“As a former mayor, I know how important access to high-quality preschool is for families and for closing the learning gap before kids enter kindergarten. This funding is going to local school districts and community-based early education and care programs, highlighting our commitment to supporting cities and towns from Western to Southern Massachusetts in meeting the needs of their residents and making our state a more affordable and equitable place to live, learn, work and play,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll.    

A main driver in the administration’s approach to expand preschool access and promote kindergarten readiness, CPPI establishes a district–wide preschool program across classes in public and community-based early education and care programs. By working across the state’s mixed early education system, districts are expanding access to a range of programs that meet different needs of working families. CPPI also promotes equitable access to special education to ensure full inclusion of children with disabilities across all settings. Through this program, the CPPI funding also provides scholarships to participating families to enroll in preschool at no or low cost and enables full day/full year services to families through public and community-based classrooms.   

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to expanding access to affordable high-quality preschool across Massachusetts. In partnership with the Legislature, we delivered $16 million already this year and with $1.7 million more now, we’re making the necessary investments to reach more kids in more communities,” said Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler. “This is not just an investment in our children and families, early childhood educators, and local communities—it's a downpayment on the future success of our state.”   

“The Administration is focused on expanding low or no cost preschool access to provide children across the state with the high-quality early education experiences we know give them the academic and social-emotional skills they need to enter kindergarten,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “We are glad that six additional districts are receiving expansion grants to add classrooms and serve additional families across the state. EEC also looks forward to working with the Chicopee and Taunton school districts, and their partners, to support them in planning and implementing universal access to pre-k in their districts through our diverse mixed-delivery system.”  

“The Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative is a great example of how the state is bringing high-quality preschool experiences to more families,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Acting Commissioner Russell D. Johnston. “We’re happy to see districts participate in this opportunity.”   

These grants build on the $16.4 million already awarded this fiscal year for districts and early education and care programs universal access to preschool. Governor Healey’s proposed “Gateway to Pre-K" agenda will further expand these efforts, investing an additional $15 million in fiscal year 2025, for a total of $38.7 million, to move Massachusetts closer to meeting the goal of universal, high-quality preschool access for four-year-olds in all Gateway Cities by the end of 2026. With this new announcement, 19 gateway cities are now receiving CPPI to enable expanded affordable preschool access.  

"The CPPI Grant is transforming Gloucester's approach to early childhood education and care. Through Gloucester Public Schools' partnerships with Pathways for Children, the Cape Ann YMCA and Kindred Gardens, more families are accessing affordable early childhood programs and special education services. Our work together is making sure Gloucester's youngest students are getting the high quality curriculum and services they need at the program that is the best fit for their family,” said Superintendent of Gloucester Public Schools Ben Lummi.   

“Over the last two years, Westfield Public Schools has partnered with our local Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA to expand pre kindergarten offerings in our community because we know that students who are able to attend preschool have significantly improved learning outcomes.  We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for continuing to support this critical initiative to support our early learners,” said Superintendent of Westfield Public Schools Stefan Czaporowski.   

“New Bedford Public Schools and our community partners have expanded access to preschool for city families at historically high rates and with the sustained support of the Department we are seeing very clear longer-term benefits for New Bedford children's academic and social development,” said New Bedford Superintendent Andrew O'Leary.   

“This grant allows us to plan the most effective, impactful, and equitable expansion of PreK services across our City,” said Taunton Superintendent John J. Cabral. “It also enables us to further strengthen our vital community partnerships with Head Start and the Old Colony YMCA and reinforce our commitment to nurturing our youngest learners' social and emotional development.”  

Second round of FY24 new CPPI awardees: 

School District	Cities & Towns Served	Award
Chicopee Public Schools	Chicopee	$50,000
Taunton Public Schools	Taunton	$50,000

 

Second round of FY24 CPPI expansion awardees: 

School District	Community-Based Partners	Award
Gloucester	YMCA of the North Shore (Cape Ann YMCA); Pathways for Children; Kindred Garden Early Learning and Care (new)	$279,949
Haverhill	Community Action, Inc; Haverhill YMCA; Urban Village Montessori, Inc. (new)	$250,000
Holyoke	Valley Opportunity Council; Greater Holyoke YMCA	$138,800
Hoosac Valley	Childcare of the Berkshires; Youth Center	$328,000
New Bedford	Little People’s College; North Star Learning Center; PACE Head Start; YMCA Southcoast	$330,000
Westfield	Boys and Girls Club of Westfield; YMCA of Great Westfield	$250,000