Walker, Alliance: Governor's Deficit Mitigation Plan Would Negatively Impact Children

Democratic lawmakers including Reps. Michelle Cook, Chris Lyddy, Gary Holder-Winfield, Karen Jarmoc, Joan Lewis and Elizabeth Ritter joined host Rep. Toni Walker (D-New Haven) as lawmakers, members of the CT Early Childhood Alliance and other advocates urged for the protection of children from devastating budget cuts that had been proposed by Governor Rell in her most recent deficit mitigation plan.

“It is not right that the first programs that are cut in any budget crisis are those that affect the most vulnerable in the state,” Rep. Walker said. “The very young would be hurt by the Governor’s proposed budget cuts and it has to be challenged.”

Of the cuts proposed, the CT Early Childhood Alliance spoke against more than $20 million in cuts to early learning programs, including the complete elimination of funding for Community Plans for Early Childhood and Early Literacy funds (which would mean the loss of matching private dollars), the Office of Early Childhood Planning, Outreach and Coordination, which is necessary to meet certain functions for Connecticut to be competitive for federal Early Learning Challenge Grants, and the Commission on Children, with representatives of all three branches of government and representatives of the private sector, working in sync to promote public policies in the best interests of children. Big cuts were proposed to state-funded child care centers ($4.5 million, or 28.3% of state funds); Care4Kids child care subsidy ($10.7 million, or 10.3%); and a $4.5 million cut to the Children's Trust Fund, a reduction of 33.8%.

Alliance members noted it was highly unlikely any of these cuts would produce real cost savings for the state.

“Unemployment will increase. Child care is essential to keep parents working,” said Juleen Flanigan, who serves as Alliance co-chair and is the director of early childhood services for Western Connecticut's EDUCATION CONNECTION. “For low-income parents, a child care subsidy is the only reason they can work. Without it, they will be unemployed.”

Flanigan also noted that child care programs will simply cease to exist. The reduction in subsidies by Governor Rell will cause instability in both public and private programs and will result in all-but-certain closures.

“I'm here today on behalf of the 105 state-funded child development centers who care for and teach 4,789 children every day, to say please don't cut $3.9 million from the state-funded programs,” said Kathy Queen, the executive director of Wallingford Community Day Care. “This cut would cause over 600 children to lose access to preschool programs, force 600 parents to quit their jobs in order to care for their children and lead to the closing of multiple child care centers and layoffs of 100 teachers. That's 700 people that will not have jobs and will be looking for help from guess who? The state.”

Queen noted that when Sikorsky threatened to cut 400 jobs and Pratt and Whitney threatened to cut 300 jobs, Governor Rell offered a $100 million tax break to help save those jobs.

“Question to Governor Rell is, what makes the employees of Pratt and Whitney and Sikorsky more important than the parents and teachers of low- and moderate- income families?” Queen said.

The executive director of All Our Kin, Inc., Jessica Sager, expressed concerns over Governor Rell's use of a “forced lapse” of $10.7 million to the Care4Kids subsidy. While $103.87 million has been budgeted for the program, the state projects spending at only $93 million, which is the amount it needs to spend to keep federal funding through the Childcare Development Block Grant.

“Care4Kids is the main funding source – and in many cases, the only funding source – for infant and toddler care in Connecticut,” said Sager. “Care4Kids makes it possible for families to go to work, while ensuring our youngest and most vulnerable children are in safe, regulated care. Ideally, we'd like every child to be in educational care, but at a minimum, we should be ashamed of ourselves if we cannot guarantee that every child is in safe, adequate care. Cuts to the program threaten the well-being of families, jeopardize the health and safety of children and threaten the continued existence of community-based businesses – child care businesses – in our poorest neighborhoods.”

Another major concern with the proposed cuts is leaving public and private matching funds on the table, if the state walks away from its funding commitment on community plans and early literacy.

The legislature reconvened on Dec. 15, but only briefly, as the Democratic majority opted to call a secondary special session the following week with their own deficit mitigation plan. The Democrats' plan restored cuts made to children's programs and services, however the plan was vetoed by Governor Rell. It is unclear if the House and Senate will reconvene before the start of the next session on Feb. 3 to tackle the on-going budget deficit.