GREENFIELD — Following last week’s launch of the MassReconnect program, community college students age 25 and older, such as Greenfield Community College student Tim Sweeney, will get a chance to rekindle their academic dreams without financial worries.

Sweeney, 44, as well as several other students from across the Pioneer Valley, joined legislators and community college presidents at GCC on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the launch of MassReconnect, a program initiated by Gov. Maura Healey in her budget establishing free community college for adults who are 25 years old or older.

“In about 2003, I decided to stop going to school [because of] the financial burden and life happens,” the Greenfield native and South Hadley resident said. “I considered going back to school a few times but could never really find the financial means or the time to make it work. … The MassReconnect program is not only giving me the financial means to go back to school, but the encouragement and inspiration to further my education.”

In his final semester at GCC, Sweeney is hoping to finish up his associate’s degree and then transfer to the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s University Without Walls program.

All 15 of the state’s community colleges are being awarded $100,000 so that the program can be implemented this fall. To qualify for MassReconnect, students must be 25 or older on the first day of their classes and be a permanent Massachusetts resident for at least one year at the start of the enrolled term. The program is limited to residents who have not previously earned a college degree (associate’s or bachelor’s) who enroll in at least six credits per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate’s degree or certificate at a community college.

GCC President Michelle Schutt said MassReconnect is a “monumental program” for Massachusetts, especially for Franklin County and the surrounding region’s economy.

“While this event represents an incredible success for the entire commonwealth, today is significant for the western side of the state,” Schutt said.

Schutt added that education is a powerful tool that can lift families up, which then leads to a more educated society and a stronger economy. She said the fastest growing sectors in the workforce are health care, computers and information technology, and MassReconnect opens up opportunities for students to attain the degrees and certificates required to work in these fields.

“I believe in the power of education to change family trees. Free community college for those 25 and older will do just that,” she said. “States that offer free higher education have greater success at retaining the workforce within their borders, which will ultimately help Massachusetts attract competitive employers.”

Leading the pack of legislators who helped push the program across the finish line was state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton. Comerford said the launch of MassReconnect is just the start of a push for affordable community college for all Massachusetts residents. There’s $12 million in the budget for officials to map out a strategy for launching a universal free community college system in 2024, plus $18 million for a free community college program for nursing students of any age.

“You’ve heard today of the transformative power and the potential of community colleges, and MassReconnect begins to unleash that transformative power,” Comerford said. “This is the beginning of a march toward universal free community college in Massachusetts. … We’re going to do it and we’re going to build the social and political will necessary to make this leap.”

MassReconnect will likely support up to 6,500 to 8,000 community college students in the first year, which could grow to closer to 10,000 students by fiscal year 2025, depending on how many students take advantage of the new opportunity.

For more information about MassReconnect at Greenfield Community College, visit gcc.mass.edu/massreconnect.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.