Senate Democrats outlined today new provisions of their priority legislation, Senate Bill 1, intended to fund a historic expansion of access to early childhood education as the first step toward universal preschool in Connecticut.
The bill, which is set to receive a public hearing today in the legislature’s Education Committee, would create a Universal Preschool Trust, to be funded by money leftover in the General Fund at the end of each fiscal year.
The proposal would redirect some of the surplus funds, which are currently dedicated to supplemental pension payments, to the new trust, intended to cover preschool expenses incurred by eligible Connecticut families.
“For many parents, the expense of child care and preschool makes returning to the workforce difficult and, in some cases, cost-prohibitive,” Senate President Martin Looney said. “Our education system’s somewhat arbitrary practice of starting services at kindergarten age forces working parents to find and pay for care during their child’s most formative years. With Senate Bill 1, we’re taking a historic step toward serving the needs of all children and building a system that supports families from the start.”
“Any parent will tell you that the cost of child care often outpaces other expenses like food and housing,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said. “As we look for ways to make life more affordable for Connecticut families, it’s hard to imagine a better investment than making early education accessible to every child. This legislation lays the groundwork for a state that better serves its youngest students while easing the financial burdens on their families.”
“Access to quality pre-kindergarten programming should not be limited to students from more affluent communities,” Senator Doug McCrory, Senate Chair of the Education Committee, said. “Every kid deserves to begin their education on equal footing, and parents from underserved districts should not have to break the bank to arrange care for their children. Senate Bill 1 goes a long way toward leveling the playing field and providing much-needed financial relief to families across Connecticut.”
The need for greater investment in Connecticut’s pre-kindergarten education system has been well-documented. A 2023 report by an expert Blue Ribbon Panel commissioned by Gov. Ned Lamont described the state’s child care market model as “broken” and “insufficient.” The panel’s recommendations called for boosting investments in child care by more than $2.3 billion over five years.
Studies have found that investments in child care provide significant returns for taxpayers. A 2013 paper by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman found that the short-term costs of early childhood education are more than offset by long-term savings in areas such as special education, social services, and the criminal justice system.
Meanwhile, a 2023 report from ReadyNation estimated that Connecticut lost around $1.5 billion in economic activity each year as a result of inadequate care for infants and toddlers.
The trust will begin receiving surplus funds after the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2027. These funds will be invested by the state treasurer and will start assisting families when the trust’s rate of return exceeds the amount needed to fund all children covered under the program’s first phase as of this July.
Under the bill, the trust would gradually expand covered expenses as its rate of return reaches the required funding levels. Children enrolled in public preschool programs will be covered under the first phase of the trust’s rollout.
As investment milestones are achieved, the trust aims to cover additional services including children enrolled in private preschool programs and eventually services for infants and toddlers. These expansions are intended to establish universal access to preschool for children across Connecticut.
Senate Bill 1 includes several other provisions designed to improve and streamline the administration of public education in Connecticut.
For instance, the legislation includes reforms to enhance state oversight of boards of education and improve transparency in how education dollars are allocated and spent. The proposal expands the financial information reported annually by local boards of education and requires those boards to publish additional information related to class sizes and school staffing levels.
Senate Bill 1 contains new oversight provisions related to student expulsions. Prior to expelling a student, the legislation requires school administrators to contact a liaison under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to determine if the child is homeless. The policy also includes safeguards to ensure that no student is expelled without a plan to mitigate the impact of homelessness.
The bill also retires certain existing programs, including the Commissioner’s Network and the Alliance District Program. This effort aims to reduce bureaucratic red tape without negatively impacting Alliance Districts by moving many of the impacted services to the Priority District initiative, which serves a similar purpose.
Contact: Hugh McQuaid | hugh.mcquaid@cga.ct.gov
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