COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN SENDS FLAGSHIP BILL SUPPORTING INFANTS, TODDLERS AND DISCONNECTED YOUTH TO SENATE FLOOR

Today, the Committee on Children advanced Senate Bill 6, flagship legislation from Senate Democrats supporting infants, toddlers and disconnected youth in Connecticut, to the Senate floor for further consideration.

The bill’s intention is to improve access to nutritious food in early childhood education programs, advance early childhood education through implementation of kindergarten preparatory academies and close a loophole preventing municipal camps from avoiding licensure requirements of other private camps.

It passed the Committee on Children by a 12-5 tally, with all Democrats voting in support and all Republicans voting against.

“Addressing food insecurity and childhood nutrition, as well as disconnected youth in our communities, remains an intensive priority for legislators. The more supports we can offer children, from improved nutrition to educational and workforce connections, the better their whole-life outcomes become,” said State Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton), Senate Chair of the Committee on Children. “We are directly dedicated to restoring and improving connections between children in need and resources that can and will directly help them.”

Senate Bill 6 has provisions including, if made law:

     -Increasing awareness of access and ability to participate in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program for early childcare centers, group homes and family care homes. As of 2019, as much as $30.7 million in federal funding may have been foregone by these care centers foregoing aid from the program, potentially impacting more than 20,300 children in low-income areas.

    – Shifting oversight of the CACFP to the Office of Early Childhood from the state Department of Education.

     -Expanding oversight of state reports on disconnected youth and better incorporating data from state departments regarding early childhood support programs.

     -Including kindergarten preparatory academies, which enroll children turning five on or after September 1 and cannot enroll for kindergarten in a given year, under the Connecticut Smart Start competitive grant program.

     -Municipal agency-sponsored youth camps must acquire or maintain licensing through the Office of Early Childhood.

     -The executive director of the Connecticut Library Consortium will join the Early Childhood Cabinet.

     -The Office of Early Childhood will regularly update a one-page document provided to parents who express concern about their child’s development, including information regarding its Help Me Grow program.

     -Families of children ineligible for the state’s birth-to-three program will receive information about the Help Me Grow program, including emphasis for teen parents in communities with high teen birth rates.

     -The OEC will analyze use of the Sparkler mobile application that provides development screenings and access to support programs to find ways to improve efficiency.

The United Way of Connecticut testified in support of the bill’s focus on receiving accurate, up-to-date data on the best methods of supporting disconnected youth statewide. It called for additional regional coordination and support centered around youth programs to better bring disconnected youth back to school and the workforce.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving “applauded” Senate Bill 6’s comprehensive approach to support young children and disconnected youth, endorsing its efforts to improve nutrition and eliminate food insecurity and increase outreach about available programs to parents and families.