Legislative Agenda 2011

AN EARLY CHILDHOOD AGENDA FOR GROWTH

Keep Families Working and Small Businesses Running

Early childhood programs are essential to Connecticut’s working parents and their employers. Early childhood programs are small businesses, directly employing more than 15,000 people.

Many programs work in partnership with the State of Connecticut, delivering services that provide low income families with childcare so parents can work; and offer safe, nurturing places for young children to learn. These programs include DSS State-Funded Child Development Centers, State-Funded Head Start, School Readiness Programs, Care4Kids, Family Resource Centers, and child health and safety programs like HUSKY and SustiNet. These programs are supported in their efforts by early childhood community planning funds, Parent Trust Fund, Parents as Teachers, Early Literacy Funds, the Nurturing Families and other home visiting programs. For these programs to be most effective, we must continue to train and increase the skill set of the early childhood workforce.

Connecticut must fully fund these early childhood initiatives as they are essential to Connecticut’s children, families and economy.

Build for the Future

State government must be well-organized to deliver quality services to prepare young children for school. Currently Connecticut government administers early childhood services to children birth through age eight with a patchwork approach rather than a coordinated system. This disorganization results in many of our most vulnerable children arriving at school unprepared, contributing to Connecticut’s achievement gap.

Connecticut needs strong leaders that will create a system that achieves results. This benefits all of us, saves money over time, and will bring us a skilled workforce in the future.

Connecticut leaders must coordinate critical services for families and young children – especially access to preventative health care, family support services and affordable high quality early care and education.

Bring Additional Resources to Connecticut

Connecticut needs to leverage our state investments in early childhood services, by obtaining federal and private monies intended to support young children and their
families. Connecticut should maximize federal investments in early care and education by working to expand federal funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant, Head Start, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind), home visiting, federal stimulus dollars, and competitive grants such as the Early Learning Challenge.

Connecticut leaders must position our state to be the recipient of increased federal funds.