News

Fall is here, and WCAC is ready to help! HEAP applications are now open for returning applicants and open November 1st for new applicants. Head Start is hiring an Assistant Teacher, Healthy Families is enrolling new families, and our fall YouthWorks cohort is underway with 25 young people. Plus, join us for our Eviction Sealing Clinic at Community Day – South County, and schedule your free home energy assessment before winter. Be sure to join our email list to stay updated and read the full newsletter here!

WCAC Submits Public Comment on Proposed Federal Head Start Rule Changes Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (via regulations.gov)  Re: Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs (Docket No. ACF-2026-0595; RIN 0970-AD30)  Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC), the Community Action Agency for Worcester and 46 surrounding communities, operates Head Start for 144 center-based preschoolers and 48 home-based Early Head Start for pregnant women and children under three in 13 South County towns. We submit these comments for our program and for the families it serves. We support cutting paperwork, however, by ACF’s own analysis, most of the rule’s…

SEED Act Signed into Law The SEED Act is now law, and it’s a win for early childhood educators. On September 16, 2026, the bipartisan, bicameral Supporting Early-Childhood Educators’ Deductions (SEED) Act was signed into law. For the first time, pre-K and early childhood educators can claim an above-the-line federal tax deduction of up to $350 for out-of-pocket classroom expenses, including supplies, educational materials, and professional development. Until now, this benefit was available only to K-12 teachers. The deduction applies to expenses incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, meaning eligible educators can claim qualifying 2026 expenses when they file next year. More than 90% of…

WCAC will hold a meeting of its Board of Directors on Monday, September 14th, 2026 at 5PM via Zoom teleconference. Full agenda available here. Meetings are open to the public. Please contact Marybeth Campbell  for teleconference information.

As fall approaches, WCAC is gearing up for the 2026–2027 heating season, with HEAP applications opening online this October and November. We’re also welcoming 144 Head Start students across our Webster, Southbridge, and East Brookfield centers, and hosting Eviction Sealing Clinics at our Worcester and South County Community Days to help residents clear old eviction records. Plus, we’re recruiting local youth for our new Clean Energy workforce program and encouraging clients to schedule their free home energy assessments before the cold sets in. Be sure to join our email list to stay updated and read the full newsletter here!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Worcester Community Action Council and Massachusetts Fair Housing Center to Offer Eviction Record Sealing at Upcoming Community Day New on-site service will help Worcester-area residents petition to seal past eviction records under the state’s 2025 eviction sealing law, removing a lasting barrier to stable housing.  Worcester, MA – Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) today announced that it will offer on-site eviction record sealing assistance, in partnership with Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, at its next WCAC Community Day event on September 14th at 18 Chestnut Street and on October 8th at 219 Everett Street from 11am to 1pm. The service is part of WCAC’s “Real Help, Same Day” Community Day series, which…

As summer winds down, WCAC is already looking ahead to the 2026–2027 heating season, with online applications opening this fall. Our Community Days in South Sounty and Worcester connect residents with 30+ local services, from food to housing to utility assistance, all in one place. Meanwhile, our YouthWorks summer cohorts are finishing strong, and we’re hiring a Home Energy Auditor to help families save on energy costs. Be sure to join our email list to stay updated and read the full newsletter here!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Worcester Community Action Council Named a BabySteps Enrollment Hub by the Massachusetts State Treasurer’s Office Grant from the Office of Economic Empowerment will help WCAC enroll local families in the state’s children’s savings program, jump-starting education savings from birth Worcester, MA – Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) has been awarded a $2,500 BabySteps Enrollment Hub Grant from the Massachusetts State Treasurer’s Office of Economic Empowerment. The grant supports community organizations in helping families enroll in BabySteps, the Commonwealth’s statewide children’s savings program. Through BabySteps, every child born to or adopted by a Massachusetts resident is eligible to receive a free $50 seed deposit into a MEFA…

June 26, 2026 Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians is a deeply troubling decision, one with painful human consequences that should give all of us pause. At Worcester Community Action Council, we have stood beside our immigrant neighbors for decades. They are woven into the fabric of this city and extending communities — raising children through the public school system, strengthening our workforce while expanding our small businesses, paying taxes, owning homes, and building lives here. We firmly disagree with the  court’s ruling, and we do not believe the story ends here. The Supreme Court decision impacts our families while also dismantling our frontline…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Worcester Community Action Council Welcomes Giselle Rivera-Flores as Chief External Affairs Officer Worcester, MA – Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) today announced the hire of the new Chief External Affairs Officer, Giselle Rivera-Flores. In this newly created executive role, Rivera-Flores will lead WCAC’s external positioning, community engagement strategy, legislative advocacy, and regional thought leadership – reporting directly and working alongside to President and CEO, Marybeth Campbell. The creation of the CEAO role reflects WCAC’s strategic direction: positioning the organization as a regional force for economic mobility and community-driven policy change. Rivera-Flores will oversee external communications, community partnerships, research and advocacy initiatives – while working to amplify constituent voices in the rooms…