A Forest Park Wildlife on Wheels handler lets preschoolers at summer camp in Highland Elementary School pet a friendly rooster.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll administration announced last week that 30 school districts, in partnership with over 100 community-based preschool programs, will receive a total of $20.3 million in Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative grants to expand access to high-quality, affordable preschool for children and families across Massachusetts.
These grants maintain the state’s expanded access to high-quality preschool, supporting approximately 220 preschool classrooms and 3,200 seats for children across public schools, family childcare, YMCAs, Head Start and other community-based preschool programs, according to the announcement.
Among the grantees were Westfield Public Schools, which received a $1 million implementation grant, and Gateway Regional, which received a $250,000 early implementation grant. Both school districts offer free preschool to families.
Joanne Lemelin, grants manager for Westfield Public Schools, said the grant the district submitted was for $1 million, and they were fully funded. This amount is for one year and the grant runs Sept. 1, 2025, to Aug. 31, 2026.
“When we applied for this grant, it was noted that the [fiscal year 2026] grant was competitive and, if approved, it would then be a ‘renewal’ grant for the two years following,” Lemelin said. “This does not mean we are guaranteed the funds for the next two years, it just means the funds are potentially earmarked for Westfield, but we would still have to go through the application process each year. And, as always, the funding is contingent on what is available each year in the state budget.”
Lemelin said the grant does not fully fund the preschools, but does cover a portion of the teacher salaries, the salaries of the preschool itinerant team and provides funding to their community partners: the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield and the YMCA of Greater Westfield. It also covers some additional expenses, she said.
Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said the district will be offering full-day and half-day seats with rolling enrollment for students needing special education services. Highland Elementary and Munger Hill will have five classrooms each, with two classrooms each at Southampton Road and Westfield River elementary schools. Anticipated preschool enrollment in FY26 is 250 students.
Speaking on her last day as superintendent at Gateway, Kristen Smidy said the regional school district was grateful to receive the grant again this year.
“We are so thankful to receive $250,000 for our CPPI grant for early implementation. We did receive the same amount last year for early implementation and anticipated receiving upwards of $600,000+ for implementation, but I understand that the state has some unexpected financial limitations. Even so, we are pleased to receive the same amount as last year to continue our great work with our early learners. Because we got the same amount as last year, we will continue with our strong offerings without additional expansion,” Smidy said.
Gateway Pupil Services Director Kurt Garivaltis said the district offers four inclusive preschool programs, two in each of the elementary schools, and offer the ability to deliver half-day programming for three years and a full-day program for 4-year-olds. He said the program is flexible and able to shift and add additional 3-year-old slots if needed, and the same for 4-year-olds.
“Although we were expecting a 100% increase to $500,000 in the FY26 CPPI allocation, the EEC needed to level fund the grant this year at $250,000 based on what the state reportedly receives from the federal government. Despite this financial setback, the district is hopeful we will operate our programs in compliance with the requirements of the grant,” Garivaltis said.
Grant requirements include offering at least one program five days per week, supporting community-based family daycare programs with district specialists, including a board certified behavior analyst hired using CPPI funds and augmenting district preschool programs using community-based partners to offer supportive programs and services to the Hilltowns youngest learners. For example, Garivaltis said Westfield Infant Toddler, the primary early intervention provider for Hilltown children and families offers a playgroup two days per week in the middle/high school, and the Huntington Children and Family Center delivers a twice a week playgroup at Chester Elementary school.
“If/when additional funds are made available through the CPPI initiative, the district will follow through with all the action plans identified in the CPPI grant application, building a full continuum of programs and services for our communities’ youngest learners using local, community based partners to accomplish these goals,” Garivaltis said.
A large portion of CPPI programs operate in communities with fewer resources available for children and families, as defined by the Child Opportunity Index. Through Gov. Maura Healey’s “Gateway to pre-K” agenda, the administration has expanded CPPI to serve more than three times the number of children compared to two years earlier, with a focus in Gateway Cities and rural communities, according to the announcement.
“We know that far too many parents are being held back from returning to the workforce because of the daunting cost of child care. That’s why we have been focused on expanding access to universal pre-K through our schools and community-based programs across the state,” said Healey. “Access to high-quality pre-K helps close learning gaps before students enter kindergarten, leveling the playfield and setting children up for success in school. I am grateful to the Legislature for their partnership in this year’s budget, and our administration is committed to building on this progress and working toward expanding access to child care and pre-K in more communities.”
