Connecticut

Overview

During the 2022-2023 school year, Connecticut preschool enrolled 12,870 children, an increase of 1,827 from the prior year. State spending totaled $130,866,797 and an additional $9,356,630 in federal recovery funds supported the programs, up $760,740 (1%), adjusted for inflation, since last year. State spending per child (including federal recovery funds) equaled $10,895 in 2022-2023, down $1,734 from 2021-2022, adjusted for inflation. Connecticut met an average of 5.1 of 10 quality standards benchmarks.

What's New

An Act Adjusting the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2023, awarded funding to the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to create 1,300 new Infant and Toddler spaces intended to provide low-income Connecticut families increased access to high-quality, affordable new full-day, full-year child care opportunities. These new infant and toddler spaces are being allocated in three phases with an intentionality toward supporting programs in high desert areas. Facility Funds were offered to facilities for renovation of space or classroom supplies. Spaces were awarded to family childcare homes for contract implementation in July 2023. The rate was increased for infant and toddler care to $13,500. The state legislature allocated $30 million in FY23 through FY24 in funding for an emergency stabilization grant program for School Readiness and Child Day Care.

In FY 25 the state funded preschool rate will increase by 17% to $10,500. Governor Lamont initiated the Blue-Ribbon Panel on Child Care by Executive Order in 2023. The Panel’s strategic plan will be actionable, and data driven, prioritize equitable access to early care and education, and support families, providers, and the state’s economy. The goal is to develop an equitable, high-quality, and sustainable system that ensures that every child has a quality educational foundation that will prepare them to grow, learn, and succeed. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, children need to turn 5 years old on or before September 1 to be automatically eligible for kindergarten. This is a change from the current kindergarten cutoff date of January 1.

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 over 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 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 preschool in public school settings. Funding is distributed to local or regional boards of education through a competitive grant process.

Connecticut’s overall support for state-funded preschool, including enrollment and funding for CDCC, SR, and Smart Start, is depicted in the first two sections of the state profile. The third section focuses solely on CDCC, the fourth on SR, and the fifth on Smart Start.