Appendix A: FY2027 CFCE EEC Finance Application Instructions

F Y 2 0 2 7 C O O R D I N A T E D F A M I L Y A N D C O M M U N I T Y E N G A G E M E N T G R A N T

( F U N D C O D E 2 3 7 )

Grant Description & Purpose As per the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Appropriations Act, EEC is releasing this continuation procurement to award grants to one (1) or more applicants(s) who will provide Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) services through a statewide system that meets the needs of the children, families, and communities throughout the Commonwealth. Ultimately, EEC seeks to provide coordinated family and community engagement services that address the developmental, social, emotional, and community support needs of young children and their families that fosters healthy development, reduces caregiver isolation, and promotes early learning success.

Who Can Apply The FY 2027 Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant is a renewal, non-competitive grant program. Only lead agencies who are in good financial and programmatic standing with the Department of Early Education and Care and received one or more of the following FY2026 grants are eligible to apply.

o FY 2026 CFCE grant o FY 2026 ParentChild+ Grant

Eligibility Requirements

• Please refer to the FY 2024 Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant Application for the list of eligibility requirements for this grant.

• Please note that the timeline for the FY 2027 CFCE Grant is in Appendix A in the FY 2027 posting. NOTE: The FY2027 CFCE eligibility amounts reflect the sum of the allocations from the following FY26 grants:

o FY 2026 CFCE grant o FY 2026 ParentChild+ Grant

Application Information The application will be submitted as an online grant application through EEC. The instructions for how to apply for the FY 2027 Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant will be sent to you by email but the documents for FY 2024 are posted on COMMBUYS, under Bid #:

BD-23-1037-1CEN0-CENTR-87047.

http://www.commbuys.com/ https://www.commbuys.com/bso/bid/bidSummary.sdo?docId=BD-23-1037-1CEN0-CENTR-87047&mode=initial

TIMELINE FOR FY 2027 CFCE GRANT:

Timeline for Grant

Date Time

Grant Application Release/Posting March 9, 2026

Register in advance for this meeting: CHANGE LINK FY27 CFCE Webinar Registration Link

March 12, 2026 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Register in advance for this meeting:

FY27 CFCE Office Hours- March 16 & March 18

March 16, 2026

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Register in advance for this meeting:

FY27 CFCE Office Hours- March 16 & March 18

March 18, 2026

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Application Deadline Applicants must submit proposals through EEC Finance.

April 17, 2026 4:00 PM ET

Grant Start Date (Estimated) July 1, 2026

APPENDICES:

Appendix A: FY 2027 CFCE EEC Finance Instructions Appendix B: FY 2027 CFCE Budget Guidelines Appendix C: FY 2027 CFCE Eligibility Amounts Appendix D: FY 2024 CFCE Data Table and Data Source Appendix E: Grant Payments - Will be posted on EEC Finance Appendix F: Not Applicable Appendix G: FY 2027 CFCE ASQ Parental Consent Appendix H: FY 2027 CFCE EEC Evidence-based Early Literacy Models Appendix I: FY 2027 CFCE Lead Agency Roles and Responsibilities Appendix J: FY 2027 CFCE Local Advisory Council Roles and Responsibilities Appendix K: FY 2027 CFCE ParentChild+ Program Guidelines Appendix L: FY 2027 Family Survey https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/FtNCSorJTMuhlC2_C8E8gw https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HDcma2ZiQNKr5s0ddFtw6g https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HDcma2ZiQNKr5s0ddFtw6g

UNDERSTANDING ROLES AND PERMISSIONS:

• User roles are set up to allow agencies the ability to have appropriate staff perform functions in the system according to the user’s agency role.

• The system allows multiple users per role for each agency. A user may have multiple roles in the system.

• Some names of the user roles in the system may not exactly match your job title. The role names in the system are generic and should be assigned to the agency user who will perform that role in the system.

• We will be loading initial users to the system from the list provided by EEC. Any additional users will be added by the agency’s User Access Administrator.

USER ACCESS ADMINISTRATION:

• Access to the EEC Finance system is granted by User Access Administrators.

• There is no functionality to “self-register” as a user in the EEC Finance system. Each user must be added by the agency’s User Access Administrator.

• Each agency must have one (1) or two (2) User Access Administrators to manage users within their agency. It is important to keep user access up to date, removing users who are no longer employed or eligible to use the system.

• A user manual for User Access Administrators will be provided. Adding/editing users is easy.

It takes less than a minute to add a new user to the system.

USER ACCESS ROLES/PERMISSIONS:

• Each agency must have at least one user with each of the following roles to submit a funding application.

• Grant Coordinator: The Grant Coordinator has access to complete and submit one particular grant funding application for the agency. A user may have the Grant Coordinator role for multiple funding applications if desired.

• Grantee Fiscal Representative: The Fiscal Representative is usually someone who works in the business office who has knowledge/authority to review funding applications from a fiscal perspective. There are usually one or one small group of users who approve all the agency’s funding applications in the system.

• Grantee Authorized Signatory: The Authorized Signatory has the highest level of authority for final approval of grant applications. There may be one user who approves of all the agency’s funding applications.

• Grantee User Access Administrator: The User Access Administrator will be responsible for managing user access for the agency’s EEC Finance system. This may be one or two people

LOG IN:

• Go to the site at: EEC Finance Home

• Enter your email address.

• Create a password: XXXXXX

• Please write down this password for your records. You will need this password to access your EEC Finance Application in the future.

• Logging into the system is similar to logging into any typical online portal.

ADDRESS BOOK:

• Each agency has its own unique Address Book, to list all Lead Agency contacts. This can be accessed from the left-hand menu navigation.

https://masseec.egrantsmanagement.com/Default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=638773991954792916

HELPFUL LINKS:

• The system contains tools to provide communication between EEC and users.

• EEC Resources is an online repository for informative documents.

• Contact EEC provides a form where agency users can submit Help questions to the EEC team.

ACCESS YOUR FUNDING APPLICATION:

• After logging in, the system will open to a screen displaying a link to the name of your agency. Click on this link to move to the main screen for Funding Applications.

• Note that the screen also displays a 3 or 4 digit “Org ID” to allow the EEC Finance system to identify your agency in the system.

• This number is unique and is used throughout the EEC Finance system.

• Please record and store this number in a safe, easy to find location outside of EEC Finance.

• If you have questions regarding your Organization Number, please contact EEC.

FUNDING APPLICATION SCREEN:

• All funding applications are accessed from the “Funding Applications” home page.

• This page displays the application name, revision (another word for amendment), status, and the date of the last status change.

• Agencies can frequent this page to check their work in progress.

Navigation Tip: To easily navigate to the Sections page, go to “Funding > Funding Applications.”

SECTIONS PAGE:

• The “Sections” page serves as a table of contents page inside each funding application. All application pages are accessed from the Sections page.

Navigation Tip: To easily navigate to the Sections page, go to “Funding > Sections.”

SEARCH:

• To begin working on the funding application, go to Search on the left hand grey box and hover over the arrow.

• Go to Funding Application.

APPLICATION STARTED:

• To begin working on the funding application, click on the link “Application Started” at the top of the Sections page.

APPLICATION WORKFLOW:

All processes, from application start to EEC's final approval will be conducted within your EEC Finance system.

1) The Grantee’s Grant Coordinator will click Application Started.

2) The Grantee’s Grant Coordinator will complete the application.

After clicking “Application Started,” the system provides a confirmation message, asking the user for confirmation of the status change.

Click, “Confirm” to continue.

3) The Grantee’s Grant Coordinator will click Application Submitted.

4) A Grantee Fiscal Representative will click Grantee Fiscal Represented Approved.

5) The EEC Grant Manager will click EEC Program Approved or Not Approved.

6) The EEC Grants Administrator will click EEC Grants Administration Approved or Not

Approved.

7) If the funding application is not approved, it is sent back to the agency to make edits.

8) Then, the agency will resubmit their corrected application.

9) The EEC Grant Manager will Program Approve the application.

10) EEC Grants Administration will approve the application.

11) The Grantee Authorized Signatory will click Grantee Authorized Approved.

12) The EEC Grants Director will click EEC Final Approved.

NAVIGATING THE APPLICATION:

• Use the navigation tools in the system to move from one page to another.

• Use Funding > Funding Applications to move to the Funding Applications page.

• Use Funding > Sections to move to the Sections page.

• Do not use the browser “Back Button.”

“GO TO” AND “SAVE AND GO TO”:

• Go To” and “Save and Go To” --menus allow navigation between any pages in the funding application.

• Using Save and Go To…Refreshes session timeout.

• Save and Go to Current Page…Saves changes to the page and keeps the user on that page.

• Save and Go to Next Page…Saves changes to the page and moves the user to next page in that section.

• Save and Go to Previous Page…Saves changes to the page and moves the user to previous page in that section.

PARTS OF THE APPLICATION:

System Pages

• History Log & Create Comment

Allocations

• Allocations

Program Details

• Program Contact Information

• Projected Deliverables

• Local Advisory Council Form

• In-Kind Contributions and Fundraising

• Communities Served

• Languages Spoken

• Related Documents

• Budget Summaries

CFCE Lead Agency & Subcontractors

• Budget

• Budget Overview

• CFCE Subcontractor Budget Workbook

• Fringe Benefit Narrative

ParentChild+

• ParentChild+ Statistical Form

• Budget

• Budget Overview

• PC+ Subcontractor Budget Workbook

• Fringe Benefit Narrative

Checklist

THE HISTORY LOG:

• The History Log will show all the status changes and comments associated with the funding application.

• The “User” column will list who initiated the status change or who entered the comment.

• An “S” indicates a Status Change. A “C” indicates a Comment

CREATING COMMENTS:

• Creating Comments is a convenient way to communicate between grantees and EEC. The system will retain comments inside the application space.

• Remember that comments are permanent. Use caution when entering comments.

HOW TO CREATE A COMMENT:

• Creating Comments is a convenient way to communicate between grantees and EEC. The system will retain comments inside the application space.

• Remember that comments are permanent. Use caution when entering comments.

To create a comment:

• Click the “Create Comment” link on the

Sections page.

• After entering the comment, click “Save and Go To” Current Page.

• Navigate to the History Log and check to ensure that the comment was saved.

ALLOCATION PAGE:

• The “Allocations” page shows the amount of the funding award(s) for the funding application.

• Below are sample allocations.

• Users must budget all of the dollars indicated on this page.

• The CFCE grant includes funding for CFCE and ParentChild+.

PROGRAM DETAIL PAGES:

• Respond to questions about your program on the “Program Details” pages.

• Upload supporting documents on the “Related Documents” page.

PROGRAM CONTACTS:

• Please complete all contact information.

• Check all your entries to make sure you have the correct spelling and correct email addresses.

NARRATIVE QUESTIONS:

• There are no narrative questions for FY27.

PROJECTED DELIVERABLES:

• Applicants must complete all the asterisks (*) sections.

• For each performance measure below, grantees must report their proposed outcomes for

FY27 (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027).

• The data provided for each of these activities will help EEC identify if grantees are meeting their specific benchmarks throughout the grant year.

• Grantees are required to provide monthly data reports to EEC that align with this projected deliverable form and identified KPIs.

LOCAL ADVISORY COUNCIL:

• Please complete the table with the names, contributions, and contact information for all council members.

• Applicants must complete all the asterisks (*) sections.

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS AND FUNDRAISING:

• Grantees are expected to generate in-kind contributions as well as public and private resources to support service delivery.

• Any in-kind contributions, additional grant resources, or other support must be accounted for in the CFCE FY2027 In-kind Contributions and Fundraising form.

• Please submit Projected Totals on this form with your grant renewal application and submit the Actual Projected Totals no later than July 15, 2027.

COMMUNITIES SERVED:

• INSTRUCTIONS: Below are the 351 cities and towns separated into 5 regions with Massachusetts. Select the names of the cities/towns to be served in each region.

• You must select at least one item in each column. If you do not serve any communities in a given column, please select "N/A."

LANGUAGE SERVED:

• INSTRUCTIONS: Please select the languages your agency serves.

RELATED DOCUMENTS:

• Instructions: Please upload the following documents:

• Documents with asterisks (*) must be uploaded.

o FY2027 Calendar of Activities (Please use your own template) * o Advisory Council Bylaws (if changed since FY26 Application) o Lead Agency Organization Chart (if changed since FY26 Application) o CFCE Program Organization Chart (if changed since FY26 Application) o Resume (or job description) of CFCE Coordinator (if changed since FY26 Application)

ACCESSING THE BUDGET FOR BOTH CFCE, SUBCONTRACTORS, AND

PARENTCHILD + BUDGETS:

• The system is designed to facilitate seamless functionality between budgeting and requesting funds.

• To begin work on the budget, click on the “Budget” link which appears on the “Sections” page.

• There are separate budgets for (a) CFCE Lead Agency + Subcontractors and (b) ParentChild+ + Subcontractors.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVE CFCE OR PC+ SUBCONTRACTOR(S) THIS

SECTION SHOULD BE COMPLETED FIRST:

• If you have a subcontractor for CFCE or ParentChild+, we suggest that you complete the FY2027 CFCE or PC+ Subcontractor Budget Workbook first.

• First, click on the link for the FY27 CFCE or FY27 PC+ Subcontractor Excel Workbook Upload and save the workbook to your computer with your agency name.

• Do NOT rename any tabs on this Subcontractor Budget Workbook.

• On each tab, enter the name of your Subcontractor.

• Complete the entire FY27 CFCE or PC+ Subcontractor Budget Workbook and upload the workbook.

• Once you have completed the Subcontractor Budget Workbook, take the funding total and enter it under 2.08 Subcontractor Object Code within the CFCE or PC+ budget.

THE FUNCTION CODES & OBJECT CODES:

• The Function Codes and Object Codes for CFCE are aligned with CPPI Function and Object Codes.

• The Function Codes are the categories 1-10 in the budget.

• The Object Codes are the lines within each category.

NAVIGATING THE BUDGET ENTRY SCREEN:

• Click on “Modify” next to the desired Object Code.

ADD BUDGET DETAIL:

• Click on “Add Budget Detail” to add a new budget item.

• To edit an existing budget item, click on the Pencil icon directly below “Add Budget Detail.”

• Use the Trash Can to delete an entry.

THE BUDGET DETAIL SCREEN:

• Ensure the correct Object Code is selected.

• Enter the Cost.

• Open the Add Budget Detail screen and the Quantity of 1.00 will be listed.

o The Quantity of 1.00 can be changed to identify multiple expenditures within one object code.

• Enter a Budget Narrative Description. Make sure to read instructions above every budget narrative box.

• Click “Create” below the box.

• Click “Return” at the top or bottom of the screen.

• Note that the lower right-corner of the screen indicates the funds budgeted and remaining.

• Budget all allocated funds.

BUDGET FILTERING:

• The best way to access the Budget Filtering feature is to click on “Modify All” near the top of the Budget page.

• The budget filtering functionality will show the amount of total funds budgeted for the selection criteria.

BUDGET GUIDELINES:

• If you hover over the object codes, you will see the definitions from Appendix B: Budget Guidelines.

BUDGET OVERVIEW PAGE:

• This page is provided to show a more tabular view of the budget.

• Click the link to show all items. Items showing zero are allowable but not budgeted.

FRINGE BENEFITS:

• You must go to this Fringe Benefits Narrative section and answer the following question:

o Are you paying fringe benefits through this grant?

o If you answer, “Yes,” then make sure that the number of staff and FTE under 04.01 Fringe matches the number of staff and FTE in 01: Administrators, 02:

Instructional/Professional Staff, and 03: Support Staff.

o If you answer, “No,” you must list the source of fringe benefits if you are not paying fringe benefits through this grant.

PARENTCHILD+ BUDGET SECTION:

• This section contains the ParentChild+ Statistical Form and the Budget for ParentChild+.

• If staff are funded for both ParentChild+ and CFCE activities, please enter funds into the appropriate budget.

o For example, if you are the CFCE Coordinator, those funds would be entered into the

Lead Agency Budget, and if you are also the ParentChild+ Coordinator, those funds would be entered into the ParentChild+ Budget.

• If you subcontract with an outside agency to implement your ParentChild+ program, those funds should be entered into the FY27 ParentChild+ Subcontractor budget first.

• Then, the total entered on Object Code 2.08. See section title IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVE CFCE or PC+ Subcontractor(s) THIS SECTION SHOULD BE COMPLETED FIRST:

• DO NOT INCLUDE ParentChild+ FUNDS in the LEAD AGENCY BUDGET.

• THE LEAD AGENCY BUDGET + ParentChild+ BUDGET + CFCE SUBCONTRACTORSS + PC+

SUBCONTRACTORS (IF APPLICABLE) = TOTAL ELIGIBILITY AMOUNT

PARENTCHILD+ STATISTICAL PROJECTIONS:

• Grantees proposing to serve communities where a ParentChild+ program exists may bid on delivery by completing the Projected FY2027 column and the ParentChild+ budget. Please refer to the RFR for Requirements for the ParentChild+ Program.

UPLOADING DOCUMENTS:

• The system uses standard functionality for uploading documents.

CHECKING FOR ERRORS:

• The system has built-in functionality to ensure completion of the application. Error checks in the system are referred to as validations. Users can view validation errors from the Sections page by clicking on the “Messages” link in the “Validation” column.

• Examples of validation errors include (a) not responding to required questions, and (b) not budgeting the entire allocation.

• The user will not be able to click the “Application Completed” link to submit the application if there are validation errors.

SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION:

An entry of all status changes will be added to the History Log.

• Once the application is complete, the user with the role for the CFCE Grant Writer/Coordinator will click the link for Grantee Submitted, located at the top of the Sections page.

• The next person in the workflow is the user with the role for the CFCE Fiscal Representative who will click the link for Grantee Fiscal Representative Approved (or returned) located at the top of the Sections page.

• The EEC Program Manager will click EEC Program Approved or Not Approved.

• The EEC Grants Administrator will click EEC Grants Administration Approved or Not

Approved.

• If the funding application is not approved, it is sent back to the agency to make edits.

Then, the agency will resubmit their corrected application.

• Once EEC has Program Approved and EEC Grants Administration approved, the Grantee

Authorized Signatory will click Grantee Authorized Approved.

• The EEC Grants Director will click EEC Final Approved.

IF THE APPLICATION IS RETURNED “APPROVED”:

• Users with access roles associated with the CFCE application will receive a system-generated email from the system stating that the application has been approved.

• An entry of the status change will be added to the History Log.

• Application revisions may be created on fully approved applications.

THE CHECKLIST:

• This checklist is a means of communication between EEC and Agency regarding the allowability and allocability of the items submitted in the funding application.

• If the application you are working on contains a checklist, this is the first place to look if the funding application was marked as “Not Approved.”

• The instructions at the top of the Checklist are a helpful reminder of how to use checklist functionality.

PRINTING:

• The system allows printing, which is simply the generation of the print job into a PDF.

THE PRINT REQUEST:

• After selecting the Print link, you may want to rename the document to something more meaningful.

• Your email address will appear in the window.

• You may indicate the preferred font size of the print job.

ACCESSING THE PRINT JOB:

• The print jobs are available at the top of your EEC Resources page.

IF THE APPLICATION IS “APPROVED”:

• Users with access roles associated with the funding application will receive a system-generated email from the system stating that the application has been approved.

• An entry of the status change will be added to the History Log.

• The application will advance to the Grantee Authorized Signatory who will click Grantee

Authorized Approved.

• Once the application is in the status of EEC Final Approved, the agency may click the link at the top of the Sections page to start a revision (amendment).

TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION:

• Once the revision is in progress, the original application can be viewed by going to “Funding Application > Funding Application.”