Connecticut

Overview

During the 2021-2022 school year, Connecticut preschool enrolled 11,043 children, an increase of 1,377 from the prior year, as the programs began to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. State spending totaled $130,701,882, down $5,199,344 (4%), adjusted for inflation since last year. State spending per child equaled $11,836 in 2021-2022, down $2,224 from 2020-2021, adjusted for inflation. Connecticut met an average of 5.1 of 10 quality standards benchmarks.

What's New

During the 2021-2022 school year, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) implemented 25% funding enhancements for the Child Day Care Contracts (CDCC) and School Readiness (SR) programs. All programs, including Smart Start, received funding for a full allocation for FY 2022 despite some fluctuations in enrollment. 

Staffing shortages and fiscal challenges continued to be an issue. Alternative models of support were implemented to continue providing fiscal stability for programs, including wage supplements, enrollment grants, and additional cost of living increases. The state provided some flexibility to address staffing challenges and to meet program requirements.

Background

Connecticut serves prekindergarten children in three state-funded programs: School Readiness Program (SR), Child Day Care Contracts (CDCC), and Smart Start, all supervised by the OEC. Non-Head Start SR, CDCC, and Smart Start programs have three years to become NAEYC accredited. Programs not NAEYC accredited or Head Start approved are required to have annual Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) ratings by state-approved raters to help prepare them for accreditation. 

Connecticut has provided funding for CDCC for 40 years through a purchase-of-service contracting system. The services provided through the CDCC are supported through state funds and must operate for at least 10 hours per day. Eligibility requirements target children with household incomes below 75% SMI for state funding and/or children with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level for SSBG funds. CDCC programs, which must be licensed as a child care facility by the state, may operate under the contract held by an elementary or secondary school, nursery school, preschool, day care center, group child care home, family child care home, family resource center, Head Start program, or local or regional board of education. 

School Readiness was founded in 1997 to expand access to early childhood programs for 3- and 4-year-olds. Financial support is available to 21 Priority School Readiness districts, as defined by legislation, and 46 Competitive School Readiness municipalities that have at least one school in which 40% or more of children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or fall within the 50 lowest wealth-ranked towns in the state. Any family can apply for School Readiness spaces in designated Priority or Competitive municipalities; however, 60% of children enrolled in each municipality must meet the income guideline of at-or-below 75% of the SMI. 

Smart Start was created during the 2014 legislative session to expand publicly funded pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds in public school settings. Funding is distributed to local or regional boards of education through a competitive grant process.