Boston City Council Budget Hearing on FY27 Budgets for BCYF and Office of Early Childhood - May 18, 2026
Budget Hearing on FY27 Operating Budgets for BCYF and Office of Early Childhood
The Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Councilor Ben Weber, held a hearing on May 18, 2026, to review the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 operating budgets for the Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) and the Office of Early Childhood (under the Office of Human Services). The hearing covered Dockets 0733–0740 and 0747, including the child care revolving fund. Commissioner Mike Tarivet presented BCYF's level-funded $30.5 million budget, while Commissioner Marta Rivera presented the Office of Early Childhood's reduced operational budget and the sunset of ARPA investments. Councilors Flynn, Santana, Culpeper, and Braden participated, and public testimony focused on concerns about programming at Curtis Hall.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ashley Ochoa (826 Boston alumna) spoke in support of the 826 Boston writing and tutoring program, which she credited with building her confidence and writing skills. She noted that 826 Boston serves over 3,800 Boston students annually and relies on city funding from departments including the Office of Early Childhood. She urged continued support.
- Eileen Lapowski (Jamaica Plain resident) testified about the importance of adult fitness classes and pickleball at Curtis Hall, emphasizing the lack of clear communication from center leadership and uncertainty about program changes.
- Meg O'Brien (Jamaica Plain resident) shared that her 7 a.m. full-body workout class at Curtis Hall has improved her health and built community; she credited the class with preventing a serious injury when she was hit by a car. She called for preservation of all five morning classes and better communication.
- Pamela Yellen (28-year Jamaica Plain resident) presented statistics: the morning classes run at near 100% capacity (20 participants each at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday), serving mostly perimenopausal and menopausal women aged 20–70. She argued that these classes prevent costly health outcomes and asked the council to preserve all five classes and avoid pitting adult vs. youth programming.
- Erica (Jamaica Plain resident, former early childhood educator) praised Curtis Hall as a hub for connectivity and diversity, and requested improved communication from the center.
- Melissa Allen (online, Jamaica Plain resident) described losing 20 pounds and building friendships through the morning fitness classes, emphasizing the importance of adult fitness for the community.
Discussion Items
- BCYF Overview (Commissioner Mike Tarivet): The FY27 proposed budget is $30.5 million, essentially level-funded, with 81% for personnel. BCYF operates 36 sites (including 22 standalone centers, 14 BPS-based centers, 2 senior centers, 1 beach, 18 pools). In FY25, BCYF registered 206,288 members with nearly 900,000 visits. Youth sports participation increased 19% and aquatics participation 20% over the prior fiscal year; lifeguards taught 431 swim lessons (27% increase). Key goals for FY27 include raising program quality standards, investing in staff, deepening partnerships, and institutionalizing feedback loops.
- Office of Early Childhood Overview (Commissioner Marta Rivera): The office has trained over 590 family child care providers across 14 neighborhoods, with 90% remaining open. Providers are 99% women, 94% women of color, 68% speak a language other than English, and 23% live in public housing. Operational funds for FY27 are $763,468, a 34% cut from the previous year's $1,148,510. All ARPA funds ($17.5 million) have been used; the "Degrees for Free" program will not continue with city funds (the state has its own program). Other trainings (business, tech/marketing, licensing, ESOL) will continue with operational funds. The Great Starts enrollment platform is now funded operationally by BPS. New initiatives include the "Boston Reads" literacy campaign, "Keeping Kids Cool" extreme heat awareness, and bike safety lessons.
- Vacancies and Staffing (BCYF): Commissioner Tarivet reported that year-round vacancies are decreasing, with about 67 seasonal positions. Hard-to-fill roles include frontline youth workers (starting salaries max out around $60,000–$65,000). BCYF is actively hiring for summer programming.
- Facilities and Capital (BCYF): The capital budget increased from $216 million (FY26–30) to $229.7 million (FY27–31), but only 46% of planned capital was spent in FY26, partly due to project manager capacity. Planned renovations include Curtis Hall pool (starting June 2026, estimated one year), Hennigan pool (hoping to open in 2–3 weeks), and design for Jackson Mann playground.
- Jackson Mann Community Center Concerns (Councilor Braden): The center lacks Saturday programming and has no full-time athletic director (position open over a year). Commissioner Tarivet offered to explore a Tuesday–Saturday schedule and to engage the community. The center currently does not operate on Saturdays, which previously hosted volleyball and other programs run by external groups.
- Curtis Hall Fitness Classes (Councilor Weber, following public testimony): Commissioner Tarivet acknowledged the anxiety about potential cuts but stated no decisions have been made. He committed to communicate with users and to involve the district councilor in discussions.
- Child Care Deserts (Councilor Culpepper): Commissioner Rivera identified Longwood/Fenway, Allston/Brighton (lack of family child care), and Charlestown (large child population, insufficient seats) as areas with significant shortages.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken; the hearing was informational.
- BCYF will work with the Jackson Mann community to explore shifting to a Tuesday–Saturday operating schedule (pending staffing feasibility).
- BCYF will arrange a meeting with Curtis Hall patrons and the site director to discuss programming priorities.
- The Office of Early Childhood will continue business training, tech/marketing, licensing support, ESOL, and a new family engagement program using operational funds, but the "Degrees for Free" stipends will not be renewed (state support may be available).
- BCYF will provide Councilor Braden with data on programming spending at Jackson Mann and comparable centers.
- The Hennigan pool is expected to open in 2–3 weeks pending ISD inspection.
- The Curtis Hall pool renovation is slated to begin in June 2026 and take about one year; during construction the site remains open but the pool area is closed.
- Public testimony will continue at a listening session on May 26, 2026, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
- Written testimony may be submitted to ccc.wm@boston.gov, and two-minute video testimony can be uploaded via the council budget website.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. For the record, my name's Ben Weber. I'm the chair of the Ways and Means Committee and I'm the Boston City Councilor for District Six. Today is May 18th, 2026, and the exact time is uh 211 p.m. This hearing is being recorded and it's also being live streamed at Boston.gov slash city-council-tv and broadcast on Xfinity Channel 8, RCN Channel 82, and FIOS Channel 964. The council's budget review process will encompass a series of hearings that run from April through June. We strongly encourage residents to take a moment to engage in this process by giving testimony for the record. You can do so in several ways. First, you can attend one of our hearings in person or virtually and give public testimony.gov. Or you can uh get a zoom link by emailing our uh our central staff uh budget analyst, Krishnmachon at K-A-R-I-S-H-M-A.CHOUHAN at Boston.gov. Uh again, following the first round of counselor questions. We'll allow for we'll have public testimony. You'll each be given two minutes uh to to make your remarks. Please introduce yourself, tell us your name, where you're from, uh, uh, and what organization you're with, if any. Uh also on uh May 26th at 6 p.m. We have uh the fourth of four public listening sessions right here in the council. So you can come here 6 p.m. Uh and I will be here and hopefully, you know, some of my colleagues to to hear public testimony at that listening session again. You can testify in person or virtually uh at that session. Um, in lieu of testifying at a hearing uh virtually in person, you can also submit written testimony to the committee by emailing us at ccc.wm at Boston.gov. Lastly, you can submit a two-minute video of your testimony through the form on our website. Uh, for more information on the city council budget process uh and how to testify, please visit the city council's budget website at Boston.gov slash council-budget. Uh uh, let's see, I think I've covered everything. Today this mor uh this afternoon's hearing is on Docket numbers 0733 to 0740 and number 0747, 747, at uh an overview of the FY27, it's the fiscal year two thousand twenty-seven operating budgets for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the Office of Early Childhood, uh, which is a program under the Office of Human Services. This hearing will cover the uh will also cover the child care revolving fund. This is one in a series of hearings to review the fiscal year 2027 budget. These matters were sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu, and we're referred to the committee on April 8th, 2026. This afternoon, I'm joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Santana, and Councillor Culpeper. We waive opening statements at these budget hearings generally. So we're just gonna go right to the panel. Let me introduce you. We're joined this afternoon by the Commissioner of Boston Centers for Youth and Families, Marta Rivera, Director of Operations, Eddie McGuire, and Analytics and Program Director Paula Gaveria Via Real. Okay, if I got that right. It helps says there's a soccer team from Spain from Viral. So but uh I would like to let my colleagues know that director of VRL uh may need to leave a little prior to five o'clock due to child care needs, and I advise my colleagues to ask her questions now during the first round. Um because she has has to leave for uh good reason. Um so okay, so I'm gonna hand it over to the panel. If you have a presentation, let's let's hear from you. Just so director, what what time do you need to leave by? No, but five, it's perfect, just not after five. Okay, by five. I think we're we're good there. Okay, so both of you give your presentations and we'll go to Councillor Questions. Perfect. Thank you very much. Um, the Office of Early Childhood, and I'll just show you a bit of what we've been doing and will continue to do in this upcoming fiscal year. So we have several trainings for our family child care providers, and these are home-based providers. Um, throughout the years, we've served over 590 family child care providers in all of our 14 neighborhoods. And out of all these family child care providers, 90% of them remain open. Uh, these trainings started in 2019, so this speaks highly of the value of our trainings.
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