On Wednesday, Gov. Ned Lamont鈥檚 bill proposing a 鈥渦niversal preschool endowment鈥� will get in front of the Education Committee. It鈥檚 among several bills addressing early childhood, and the child care crisis in 黑料吃瓜网.
While the state is opening up access to more subsidized child care spaces, Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said there needs to be a systemic approach.
鈥淭here are two people who've been in a tough spot, parents and child care programs,鈥� Bye said.
For many modern families child care isn鈥檛 just a luxury 鈥� it's a necessity. Both parents were employed in roughly 70% of married-couple families in 2023, .
鈥淥ur culture has changed so much since the 1950s,鈥� Bye said, 鈥渂ut our system has not kept up with that.鈥�
According to Lamont鈥檚 proposal announced earlier this month, The initial $300 million investment would come from last year鈥檚 budget surplus. Further investment would come from anticipated future surpluses. Of the endowment鈥檚 balance, 10% could be used every year to build up capacity for universal preschool.
Is Lamont鈥檚 proposal truly a 鈥榰niversal鈥� solution for all CT parents?
Using the first $30 million the state would make more child care spaces available through Care 4 Kids, a program that pays for child care costs for low-to-moderate income families. The rollout would also include community planning 鈥� ensuring parents and other stakeholders can decide what they want to see.
The industry would see the biggest change by 2028. The proposes making preschool free of charge for families that make up to $100,000 a year. For families earning up to $150,000, it would cost $20 a day.
Whether it will be 鈥渦niversal鈥� regardless of income? Bye said, that will depend on how the fund does over time.
鈥淲e have definitely heard that there are families that make between $150,000 and $200,000 who really struggle to pay for preschool and child care, and what about them?鈥� Bye said. 鈥淚 think that's a question that's going to come up this session.鈥�
What about underpaid child care providers?
Another part of the child care gap is that there鈥檚 not enough early childhood teachers to safely meet demand 鈥� and low pay is a driving factor.
The governor鈥檚 bill proposes to see a shift in those rates by 2028. Drawing from the endowment, the state-funded programs would increase provider pay to the market rate, instead of about 75% of that rate that industry workers see now.
The state-funded child care system historically hasn鈥檛 been supported by the government, Bye said.
鈥淧olicymakers have chosen to expand access so more families have child care, because they have pressure,鈥� Bye said. 鈥淏ecause if you increase the rates, you serve fewer children, but the teachers are paid. And so there's just been this constant tension between increasing access and increasing rates.鈥�
Last legislative session, lawmakers approved funds for state-funded child care center workers to apply for a $1,800 bonus. Those will be awarded in early March, according to Deputy Early Childhood Commissioner Elena Trueworthy.
A long-term investment to build out the system
Early childhood advocates were happy to see the proposed downpayment, but said after Lamont鈥檚 budget address that the plan doesn鈥檛 immediately address infant and toddler care. Bye said that's a fair observation, adding there's still a lot of families that don't even have access to preschool.
鈥淟et's start somewhere where we can get everyone some early childhood [education] that's subsidized before they reach kindergarten,鈥� Bye said. 鈥淓ven though it's a 鈥榩reschool for all鈥� proposal, there is funding for infant-toddler rates of state funded programs that will come up as the preschool rates come up.鈥�
on the governor鈥檚 bill will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 10 a.m.
