April Forum Will Focus on Growing the Economy, Fixing Child Care Crisis

Join us at the Legislative Office Building on Tuesday, April 2, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Room 2E, for a forum on the economic impact the lack of affordable, accessible child care has one the state's families and on the state's businesses. For more information, click HERE. As this is a public event, you can attend without RSVPing, though we would appreciate a headcount before the event.

We are also seeking a parent or two who would be able to attend this forum - if you're a parent who struggles to pay for child care beyond what your Care4Kids certificate provides for, or if you couldn't finish your post-secondary degree because Care4Kids wouldn't cover you as a student, please contact us. You can contact Kayla Goldfarb at [email protected] or Jessica Ciparelli at [email protected].

THANK YOU For Attending DAY OF ACTION!

March 6 was a very busy day for us up at the Capitol and we thank each and every one of you who came to the press conference, submitted testimony or waited patiently all day and evening to testify in person. The hearing lasted well into the night (finished around 10 p.m.), but offered some thoughtful testimony. If you'd like to watch the hearing on CT-N, the link is HERE. (Hearing starts around 20 minute mark - the link should take you to that point.) A full gallery of photos is available on our Facebook page. To see the album, click HERE. Visit our Facebook page to see the album, Facebook live feed of the press conference and wrap-up video. Search "CT Early Childhood Alliance" on Facebook, and if you haven't already, give us a "LIKE!"

While media coverage was tough (there was a tolls press conference and public hearing that most of the press attended the same day), we did get a couple stories placed. The New Britain Herald and Channel 8 both ran pieces.

First Early Childhood Public Hearing Coming 3/6

OUR DAY HAS COME! On March 6, we have our chance to make the case - why teachers need to be paid more, why providers need to be paid more, why there needs to be loan forgiveness, why Care4Kids needs to be available for parents in school. The Alliance is seeking parents, ECE college students, teachers, and center directors who would be willing to testify before the Education Committee at a public hearing held exclusively on early childhood bills.

The date for the hearing is Wednesday, March 6, 2 p.m. Besides the hearing itself, we are working on other action steps, including a morning press conference (time being finalized) and an early evening rally (5:30 p.m. start time). More information will be released in the coming days. Click this LINK to sign up to testify or participate in our Day of Action!

Our flier for distribution can be found HERE (English and Spanish available)

The Alliance can assist with testimony writing, talking points and signing people up to testify. We understand a daytime public hearing is difficult for many people, so if you'd be willing to SHARE YOUR STORY and have it read aloud by a hearing attendee, please click HERE.

If you plan to testify or attend in support, we ask that you wear the yellow "We Vote for Kids" t-shirt if you have one, or wear the color yellow. This will be a unifying color for us. 

Here are the bills of interest. We are most interested in testimony on 931-935 and 937.

S.B. No. 930 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A PILOT PROGRAM FOR AN EARLY CHILDHOOD BUSINESS INCUBATOR MODEL', to establish a pilot program that authorizes the Commissioner of Early Childhood to issue a license to a person or group of persons to operate a family child care home or group child care home in a space that is not a private home and which has been provided by an association, organization, corporation, institution or agency. REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 931 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT CONCERNING PAYMENTS TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS', to require Care4Kids program payments to be at least equal to the seventy-fifth percentile of the market cost of child care; to require that any increase in funding to child care centers and school readiness program providers are to be used for increasing educator salaries; and to reestablish school readiness grant rates in the general statutes and to increase such rates. REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 932 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT CONCERNING THE STAFF QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS', to make revisions to and extend the dates of the staff qualifications requirement for early childhood educators. REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 933 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN FAMILIES IN THE CARE4KIDS PROGRAM', to expand the eligibility of the Care4Kids program to include families with a gross income of up to seventy-five per cent of the state-wide median income and require advance notice of expanded program eligibility. 
REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 934 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY IN THE CARE4KIDS PROGRAM TO PARENTS ENROLLED IN OTHER TYPES OF SCHOOL', to expand eligibility in the Care4Kids program to parents who are enrolled in school, in addition to high school, and require advance notice of expanded program eligibility. REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 935 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT REQUIRING THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TO DEVELOP AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR COMPENSATION SCHEDULE', to require the Office of Early Childhood to develop an early childhood educator compensation schedule and for early childhood program providers to implement such compensation schedule. REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 936 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD', to implement the recommendations of the Office of Early Childhood. REF. EDUCATION

S.B. No. 937 (RAISED) EDUCATION. 'AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS', to establish a student loan forgiveness program for early childhood educators.