(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that Connecticut is adding up to 1,000 new spaces in the state’s Early Start CT program in January 2026, enabling more families to have access to early childhood education and child care. In addition, the governor announced that the state is increasing provider payments for the program by 8% to support providers with operational costs and increased staff compensation.

The expansion is being funded by the Connecticut Early Childhood Education Endowment. Established earlier this year by Governor Lamont and the Connecticut General Assembly, the endowment is supporting the governor’s initiative to enact the largest expansion of early childhood education services in Connecticut history.

“We are making the largest expansion to early childhood education services Connecticut has ever seen because access to these services strengthens families, enables parents to participate in the workforce, and helps children begin their lives learning the skills needed to achieve professional success in the future,” Governor Lamont said. “Connecticut is the most family-friendly state in the nation. Early childhood education remains a priority for our administration because it is a major component of what will create a stronger, safer, and more resilient state.”

Early Start CT is Connecticut’s state-funded early care and education program for income-eligible families that serve infants, toddlers, preschool, and school-age children. It is administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).

“Today’s announcement demonstrates how the Early Childhood Education Endowment is helping more families access much needed affordable child care through a transformative expansion of Early Start CT while strengthening Connecticut’s early care and education business model,” Early Childhood Interim Commissioner Elena Trueworthy said. “This bold investment is good for families, good for child care programs and its workforce, and good for Connecticut’s economy now and in the future.”

OEC will soon launch a request for applications (RFA) to child care providers that can apply for these Early Start CT spaces. The RFA will be open to all child care centers, group child care homes, family child care homes, and public school preschool classrooms. OEC will conduct a transparent and impartial evaluation of applications received in response to this RFA and will award up to $19 million to child care providers through state contracts spanning January 2026 through June 30, 2027. Programs awarded Early Start CT spaces must participate in Elevate, the state’s quality improvement system, and in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), with a waiver option available for the CACFP program. Sixty percent of families enrolled in Early Start CT must have an income that is at or below 75% percent of the state median income (SMI) level.

By statute, State Treasurer Erick Russell is charged with administering, investing, and distributing the funds in the endowment.

“Early Start CT represents a bold step toward ensuring every child has access to high-quality early learning,” Treasurer Russell said. “By expanding infant, toddler, and preschool spaces and increasing provider payment rates, we’re not only investing in our youngest learners – we’re strengthening the early childhood workforce that supports them every day.”

The provider payment rate increase of up to 8% provides $10 million to existing and new Early Start CT providers through a mix of endowment and general funds. Early Start CT providers can apply these increased payment rates to raise staff compensation in efforts to better recruit and retain early care and education professionals in the classroom.

“I’m excited about this announcement, as today we begin the process of increasing our early child care across the state into communities where Early Start CT has not previously been available,” State Senator Ceci Maher said. “Our investments and continued focus on early child care is essential to the vision of accessible early child care for all. The growth of this program will provide new resources and opportunity for countless families around the state. I’m encouraged and excited to continue building the child care infrastructure for children and families.”

“Thanks to the Early Childhood Education Endowment, the 2026 Early Start CT expansion will be an important step forward to meet the demand for early childhood care and education,” State Representative Kate Farrar said. “Many costs are rising for families. By expanding infant, toddler, and preschool spaces, we’ll ensure more families have access to high-quality affordable and accessible early learning. Plus, an increase in provider rates will improve compensation for early educators who play an invaluable role in shaping the futures of our youngest learners.”

For more information on Early Start CT, visit www.ctoec.org/early-start-ct.