Budget Update

Time is running out to be heard. PLEASE contact your legislators!

CALL, EMAIL/FACEBOOK, WRITE, REPEAT

Messages below are suggestions – feel free to write your own!

1. Call your legislators (1 phone call each to your State Senator and State Representative)

Phone Message:  My name is (your name).  I am (director, teacher, parent) at (name of center) in (location).  Please help to ensure Care4Kids is funded at $155 million in the budget.  Care4Kids helps families afford child care.  With the state facing a $5 billion deficit, you must raise revenue to make this happen.  Please do that and fund Care4Kids.

            Senate Democrats  - 860-240-8600 or 800-842-1420

            Senate Republicans - 860-240-8800 or 800-842-1421  

            House Democrats - 860-240-8585 or 800-842-8267

            House Republicans - 860-240-8700 or 800-842-1423                       

2. Email your legislators.  Thanks to the YMCA's for letting us use their easy tool. Fill out the form and an email will automatically be sent to your state legislators

3. Use Facebook's Town Hall app.  Great how to use video   Type this message (or write your own):

Please help to ensure that Care4Kids, the state’s child care subsidy, is funded. $155 million is needed to serve the same number of children as the program served in August of last year. Care4Kids helps children get early education and  parents to work. With the state facing a $5 billion deficit, you must raise revenue to make this happen. Please do that and fund Care4Kids.

4. Twitter.  Many legislators use twitter.  Send them a tweet.

@insert your legislator Over 6,000 have already lost Care4Kids.  More revenue needed to support Care4Kids in the budget. #fairbudget

Budget Update

Our friends at CT Association for Human Services (CAHS) took a closer look at the end of the session and what having no budget heading into the middle/end of June means. There is significant pressure on the General Assembly to pass a budget before July 1. CAHS explains WHY (scroll to the "What to Watch for in the Coming Months" section). 

One small bright spot for childcare providers - with no budget currently in place, the background fee increase from $50 to $75 that was part of all budget proposals won't take effect until a budget is signed. State Police will no longer waive the $50 fee as they have in the past.

CT Voices for Children to Host Budget Webinar

CT Voices for Children will host "A Better Approach for the State Budget," on Wednesday, June 21, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., on YouTube livestream. During this webinar, CT Voices will provide an overview of the state budget, solutions to avoid another "cuts only" approach and ways to take action. Click HERE to register.  

Budget Update

On June 1, the Alliance hosted CT Voices for Children at its monthly meeting. The main topic was the budget, or lack-there-of.  No one is expecting a budget to be in place before the end of session on June 7. Some are holding out hope for a budget by the end of the fiscal year (June 30). The more realistic expectation is this will take a lot longer. Leaders are likely to negotiate throughout the summer and call rank-and-file in for a special session when they have a deal in place. If there is no budget in place by July 1, the Governor has enormous power to manage state spending, including recessions and withholding payments. 

All four budget proposals keep Care4Kids closed - noNe of the budgets would re-open it the way it was one year ago. Democrats and Senate GOP put a little bit more money in that could start to take families off the waiting list, but the Governor and House GOP maintain a hard closure. The Democratic budget and Senate GOP budget seeks to dissolve the OEC into the State Department of Education. The Governor's budget proposes a 50% cut to Family Resource Centers, where the Democrats propose a 25% cut. All four proposals eliminate Help Me Grow (a model program for the country), Healthy Start, Community Plans for Early Childhood, and reduce Early Head Start. None of these budget proposals have enough votes to pass before the end of the session.

CT Voices for Children has done an analysis of the proposals and the impact the proposals have on what is known as "The Children's Budget." (NOTE: This report was completed before the Senate GOP put out a new proposal. An addendum is expected to be released.) CT Public News Service takes a closer look at the impact on The Children's Budget and how new revenue options must be considered. 

NOW is the time to contact your legislators. They need to hear from their constituents. Other groups and organizations will be fighting for their piece of the budget pie as well, so contact your legislators and tell them to protect children and families in Connecticut. Tell them not to dissolve the Office of Early Childhood, tell them not to make cuts to FRCs, tell them not to eliminate Help Me Grow, Healthy Start, Community Plans for Early Childhood, or reduce Early Head Start. Tell them Care4Kids must be fully-funded at $157 million (you can email your legislators HERE if you haven't already regarding Care4Kids). Bottom line is we NEED NEW REVENUE. A Care4Kids video to share on social media and with your networks can be found below. We are working on other actions and will share these actions once finalized.