If you are a parent experiencing domestic violence, you may qualify for childcare assistance with priority access and full-time care — even if you don't currently have a job or other approved activity.

What Counts as Domestic Violence

EEC defines domestic violence broadly. It is a pattern of abusive behavior used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. This includes:

• Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
• Economic or psychological abuse
• Technological abuse (monitoring, controlling communications)
• Threats, intimidation, manipulation, isolation, coercion
• Any behaviors that frighten, terrorize, hurt, or control a partner

How You Qualify

Domestic violence is classified as a Protective Services need. If you can certify that you are experiencing domestic violence, you qualify for:

Benefit	Details
Full-time care	You are eligible for full-time childcare regardless of your work or school status
Priority access	Families experiencing domestic violence receive priority on the EEC waitlist

Note on income and parent fees: Unlike families experiencing homelessness, families qualifying through domestic violence are still required to submit income information, and a parent fee may be assessed based on your household income. See Parent Fees (1.8).

Certification

To access childcare through this pathway, you must provide a signed self-declaration attesting to your situation, plus one of the following supporting documents:

• Court, medical, psychological, criminal, DCF, social service, school, or police records documenting the violence
• Documents showing you have obtained a protection order or taken other legal steps to end the violence
• Evidence of seeking a safe place, such as a shelter
• A letter from a domestic violence counseling program or support group confirming your participation

Residency Documentation

If you are separating from an abusive partner, domestic violence documentation (police report or abuse prevention order) can serve as evidence to remove a second parent from your household composition, which may affect your family size, income calculation, and parent fee.

Your Privacy

EEC and its agents are required to maintain confidentiality of your personal information in accordance with state and federal law. Your information will not be shared without your consent except when necessary to prevent a serious threat to health or safety.

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Next Steps

• Need immediate help? Call the SafeLink Hotline: 1-877-785-2020 (Massachusetts DV hotline, confidential, multilingual)
• Need legal help? Contact Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) or your local legal aid organization
• Also experiencing homelessness? See Homelessness (1.15) — you may qualify through both pathways
• Need to apply for a voucher? See Getting Into the System (1.5) and contact your CCR&R
• Questions about documentation? See What Documents Do I Need? (1.4)