Facts In Action

On June 5, 2002, the Senate Ways and Means Committee released its version of the FY03 state budget, allocating $512 million in early care and education and out of school time funding, $3 million less than FY02 amounts, but approximately $4 million more than the House approved in its May version of the budget. Some of the details of the proposed Senate Ways and Means budget include:

• Nearly $290 million in funding for Office for Child Care Services early care and education programs. Several accounts providing subsidies for low-income and teen parents were collapsed into one account without specific earmarking for the pre-existing programs. In the House FY03 budget, these accounts total approximately $296 million, an increase of $2 million from the FY02 budget. The Senate consolidated account represents a decrease of approximately $4 million from FY02 levels in the related accounts.

• Level funding for the Early Learning/School Readiness account, which includes funding for the Department of Education's Community Partnerships for Children program. The Senate budget allocates $103 million, while the House FY03 proposal cuts funding for this account to nearly $95 million.

As we go to press, the Senate has begun debating its version of the budget. Once it has been approved, the House and Senate conference committee will meet to work out their differences before sending the budget to Acting Governor Jane Swift. The 2003 fiscal year begins on July 1st.

For more information:
about the FY03 Massachusetts state budget, contact Public Action for Child Care Today (PACCT) at (617) 547-1063 x234.

Facts in Action, June 2002