Legislative Update

The session started two weeks ago, and a number of bills have been introduced, including several family- and child-related bills. They include:
S.B. No. 1 - "An Act Creating a Paid Family and Medical Leave System in the State," introduced by Sen. Looney
H.B. No. 5196 - "An Act Delaying the Bachelor's Degree Requirement for Educators at Certain Early Childhood Education Programs," introduced by Rep. Sanchez
H.B. No. 5197 - "An Act Requiring the Office of Early Childhood to Develop a Proposed Early Childhood Educator Compensation Schedule," introduced by Rep. Sanchez.   
A longer list of bills has been added to the Alliance website, and they will be reviewed shortly by staff.  

Early Childhood Cabinet Meeting Planned

The Early Childhood Cabinet will meet on Friday, January 20, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Old Judiciary Room at the State Capitol. 

Legislative Session Begins

It's January, it's 2017...it's time to start a new legislative session. It will be different this year. Democrats and Republicans are tied in the Senate with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman able to cast a deciding vote. In the House, Democrats hold a slim majority (78-72). There will be three special elections to replace Senators Rob Kane and Eric Coleman, as well as Rep. Stephen Dargen, who all resigned to accept appointments to other positions. The evenly-split Senate led to a new power-sharing agreement last week. The Appropriations Committee appears to have its leadership set, with two Senate chairs and one House chair. To read more about it in the CT Mirror, click HERE. The budget will play a big role this year, as the governor proposes a new, two-year budget. Like last year, the state is facing a deficit (approximately $1.5 billion) and additional cuts to programs and services are likely. The Alliance website has an updated legislator list and the 2017 policy priorities. 

Care4Kids Forum Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Legislative Office Building (or who watched the broadcast on CT-N) for a very comprehensive look at the economic impact child care and the Care4Kids program has on the state of Connecticut. Thank you to the very knowledgeable speakers and our collaborative partners, including the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, who co-hosted the event with the Alliance. The forum drew a number of legislators from both sides of the aisle and brought up a number of questions and thoughtful responses. If you couldn't attend or watch the forum live on CT-N, it's available On-Demand. The media also covered the forum, including CT Newsjunkie and WTNH Channel 8. Around the same time of the forum, Stateline released a very comprehensive look at child care subsidies across the country and The Middletown Press did a follow-up. We will continue to keep you aware of the issues surrounding Care4Kids, action steps to take, hearings at the Capitol as the session starts, and more. Watch for our weekly updates for more information. (Photo credit: CRT.)

Child Care Aware of America Releases Cost of Care Report

For the 10th year now, Child Care Aware of America's annual report reveals a trend in the lack of access to quality, affordable child care. The latest report finds that child care is too expensive for today’s families, costing more than one year of college tuition, housing, transportation, or food. This leaves families unable to afford child care in 49 out of 50 states across the country.

On Tuesday, December 13, at 3 p.m., Child Care Aware will hold a webinar to further discuss the newly-released report. To register, click HERE. 

What Do President-Elect Trump's Nominee Choices Mean for Early Education?

New America takes a closer look at the two nominees President-Elect Trump has put forth for the Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, and Department of Health and Human Services, Tom Price.