Head Start asks state legislature for staff pay raises
Photo | Courtesy of Alison Kuznitz, State House News Service
Michelle Haimowitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, speaks during an advocacy event seeking a $1.5-million state funding boost on Tuesday
Early education and care providers serving low-income families are requesting a funding boost to support staff wage increases, and top Democrats on Tuesday stressed their commitment to the sector while also reflecting on escalating uncertainty about federal support.
The 28 Head Start programs in Massachusetts receive more than $185 million in annual federal funding, and they rely on a smaller pot of state dollars to cover staff pay, including for mental health consultants and behavioral specialists. Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which offer services to pregnant women and children from birth to age 5, are free to families with incomes that are less than the federal poverty level.
Gov. Maura Healey recommended funding Head Start State Supplemental Grants at $18.5 million in her fiscal 2026 budget, the same amount as in fiscal 2025. The Massachusetts Head Start Association (MHSA), which gathered hundreds of educators and advocates on Beacon Hill, said it's seeking $20 million for the account.
The additional state dollars would translate into "$1.5 million in raises for our hardworking Head Start staff, teachers, bus drivers, cooks, mental health consultants," said MHSA Executive Director Michelle Haimowitz.
"Our federal funds already don't meet the wage requirements we need to hit," Haimowitz told the News Service. "And we do know that we are facing federal challenges in the coming year, expecting federal budget cuts. And these funds are going to be critical to helping to sustain our program and to sustain our staff wages over the coming year."
The state funding jolt would enable Head Start programs to stay open and not lay off workers, she said.
Massachusetts Head Start programs employed 4,212 people in the 2023-2024 program year. While 35% of preschool teachers hold a bachelor's or higher degree, they earned an average salary of $42,270. Wages and mental health issues are the top reasons staff left the programs, which supported 11,651 children last year.
Funding for Head Start supplemental grants has increased by 93% over the last six years, Senate Ways and Means Chair Mike Rodrigues said at the advocacy event.
"I can promise you, I don't think any other line item has increased that much," Rodrigues said.
Invoking threats to federal funding, Rodrigues acknowledged lawmakers are "facing daunting times ahead."
"We just cannot afford, we don't have enough money in the world, to backfill all the cuts that the federal government might make," the Westport Democrat continued. "But just know that, without a doubt, (the) Head Start program is the highest priority of both my good friends, Speaker Mariano and (House Ways and Means) Chair Michlewitz, myself and Senate President Karen Spilka."
Spilka, without directly addressing MHSA's budget request, told advocates, "Let me tell you, on behalf of the Senate -- we are a Senate full of moms and dads -- I am with you. The Senate is with you."
The Ashland Democrat called early education the "lifeblood" of Massachusetts, describing the industry as critical for helping parents return to the workforce.
"We are going to keep our commitment to the early ed and care system. We have to keep our commitment," she said. "We are going to continue to invest and continue to explore policy reforms to lower costs and increase access -- increasing access for all families, with the eventual goal of ensuring that parents and caregivers pay no more than 7% of their salaries."
House Speaker Ron Mariano, a former public school teacher, said Head Start made his job easier, since students came to his classroom after developing key social skills in the early education programs.
The Quincy Democrat cautioned Massachusetts "can't substitute federal money with state money." The House Ways and Means Committee will need to "evaluate the line items that service the most and do the most good for our folks," Mariano said.
"The unfortunate thing is we don't know how much support we're going to generate in Washington. And I think that as we puzzle through this and do our best, the best thing we can do for you is stay in contact with you, and you stay in contact with us, " Mariano told advocates. "And let us know where the holes are, and we can best step in and be more efficient when we can plug some of the holes that you're all experiencing."
Beth Ann Strollo, CEO of Quincy Community Action Programs, said the organization's Head Start program is situated in Quincy Point, where Mariano lives. QCAP is rebuilding the playground there, and it will be named after Mariano and his wife, who's a retired teacher, Strollo said.
Mariano, who said he was honored by the playground dedication, joked, "I just want Beth Ann to know, I'm bearing no liability for the first kid who falls off a piece of gym equipment. You're on your own."
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