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Governor Lamont Celebrates Historic Legislative Session Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education [[link removed]]

Posted on June 10, 2025

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today joined with educators, parents, and advocates at a news conference to celebrate the accomplishments achieved during the recently adjourned legislative session in passing legislation that will implement the largest expansion of access to early childhood education in Connecticut history.

At the urging of Governor Lamont [[link removed]], the Connecticut General Assembly approved a suite of bills ( Senate Bill 1 [[link removed]], House Bill 5003 [[link removed]], and House Bill 7288 [[link removed]]) that will enable thousands of additional children to enroll in high-quality, early childhood education services, which have been unattainable for families.

“This legislative session was a victory for the many parents, families, and early childhood educators who have been advocating for Connecticut to make early childhood education affordable and accessible for all of our kids,” Governor Lamont said. “Access to early childhood education is massively important to any state’s success, not only because these programs provide valuable tools for children that will lead them to professional achievements in the future, but also because being able to enroll your child in care right now means that parents can join the workforce and earn an income that supports their family. The bills that the General Assembly approved this session represent the largest expansion of early childhood education access in Connecticut history, and I thank them for making this a priority and recognizing that this issue is a major part of what will create a stronger, safer, and resilient state.”

A significant amount of the legislation that was approved came from the recommendations of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care, which brought together voices from across child care providers, businesses, government, and parents to provide a roadmap on the future of early childhood education in Connecticut.

“With this legislation, Connecticut provides an early childhood education model for the nation,” Connecticut Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said. “It will make child care free or affordable for tens of thousands of families, and provide a portal where parents can find affordable child care in their community. And as the endowment grows, it will reach more communities and more families. Connecticut’s model is different from other states with its focus on affordability for families, equitable wages for early childhood educators, and local community planning for expansion. The passage of this bill is an achievement shared by many here today who worked for this change this year and for decades – from families, to advocates, to businesses, to providers – all share in this success.”

“Connecticut is now a national leader in creating a child care system that truly supports working families and boosts our state’s economy,” Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, director of Child Care for CT, said. “We applaud Governor Lamont and his fellow leaders in government for hearing the voices of parents, providers, and business leaders who advocated fiercely to make child care a top priority in the halls of the capitol. This is transformative legislation for Connecticut, and we are so proud to help make it a reality.”

“The Endowment bill is the most significant piece of early childhood legislation to pass the General Assembly in my lifetime,” Merrill Gay, executive director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, said. “Thank you, Governor Lamont, for proposing this approach to fix the problem that has plagued early care and education from its inception. Most parents can’t afford what it costs to provide high quality care, and early educators shouldn’t have to subsidize the system by working for poverty wages.”

Establishment of the Early Childhood Education Endowment

Senate Bill 1 establishes a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment fund starting on July 1, 2025, that will initially be funded with up to $300 million in unappropriated surplus funding from the fiscal year 2025 budget. This fund will be used to:

Support the expansion of early childhood education providers by adding tens of thousands of slots in Connecticut’s state-funded system available to enroll additional children; Expand opportunities that make early childhood education available at no cost to families enrolled in Early Start CT who earn up to $100,000 per year, and a sliding scale of no more than 7% for families earning more than $100,000 per year.

In future years, the fund will continue to grow with annual funding from budget surpluses and investments.

Finally, in fiscal year 2027 the legislation requires that the state launch a health insurance subsidy pilot program for early childhood educators in partnership with Access Health CT. There will be $10 million available for this subsidy.

Simplifying the ability of families to access early childhood education

To address concerns from families that Connecticut’s current system of early childhood education services is fragmented and challenging to navigate, House Bill 5003 creates the Early Care and Education Program Portal to provide families with a means of accessing real-time information about slot availability. Available for all Connecticut providers and families, the portal will:

Allow families to submit information for resource and referral and enrollment purposes in early childhood programs; Provide the ability for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to manage payments to early childhood programs; House information on the availability of free or subsidized slots in each town and on a regional and statewide basis; Allow early childhood providers to enter slot availability and enrollment information into the portal; Be access through a mobile app or internet website; and Allow families to apply for child care subsidies or other assistance, including Care 4 Kids.

Supporting construction and renovation of child care facilities

House Bill 7288 – the annual state bond bill – enables the State Bond Commission to authorize up to $80 million in bonds that will be used to support the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood in establishment of the Child Care Facilities Grant Program for Construction and Renovation. This grant program will offer financial assistance for facility improvements for licensed child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes.

All three bills are currently undergoing engrossing and final printing in the legislature’s nonpartisan offices. Once that process has been completed, the bills will be transmitted to the Office of the Governor for the governor’s signature. The governor will sign the bills shortly after they have been transmitted to his office.

Read on CT.gov [[link removed]]

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