Early Care and Early Learning

Today, Governor Dannel Malloy released his early childhood plan to better coordinate services aimed at improving outcomes for Connecticut’s youngest children. The plan is the result of legislation passed in 2011, Public Act 11-181, which received strong, bi-partisan legislative support in both chambers of the General Assembly.

Arne Duncan, President Barack Obama's education secretary, has a slogan that summarizes his tenure and the view of his mission that he shares with his boss. "Education is the civil rights issue of our generation," Duncan says.

There are nearly 400,000 children in Connecticut ages birth through age eight. Many are thriving, but more than a quarter of those children are at risk for factors that jeopardize their early learning and healthy development. Decades of research has demonstrated that early childhood programs and services can improve academic, social and economic outcomes as the child grows into adulthood.