It is time for the state to start living up to the standards it has set for early childhood education. It must allocate enough money to pay better wages to attract and keep the best teachers.
Early Childhood Education
Posted inEducation
Op-Ed: Low wages threaten Connecticut’s progress on early learning
It is time for the state to start living up to the standards it has set for early childhood education. It must allocate enough money to pay better wages to attract and keep the best teachers.
Posted inEducation
Special Report: Education, Diversity and Change in Fairfield County
Fairfield County, a region marked by sharp disparities in income and in urban and suburban life, faces particular challenges in assuring all its residents a quality education. Today, a special report, “Education, Diversity and Change in Fairfield County,” explores the issue through in-depth policy reporting, interactive maps and charts, photo galleries and opinion pieces written by teachers from the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University.
Posted inEducation
Third time a charm? State again seeks federal preschool funding
Connecticut leaders are asking the federal government for $47.6 million so hundreds of foster and homeless children can attend a high-quality preschool. Though children from all families in poverty will be eligible for the expanded preschool program, the state says it will give priority to children who are homeless or in foster care.
Posted inEducation
Prospects improving for free summer meal programs
The summer food program sponsored by the Connecticut Community Renewal Team is just one of many around the country offering free summer meals to low-income children. While these programs have struggled over recent years to meet the needs of their communities, prospects are looking up.
Posted inEducation
Raising Connecticut’s kindergarten age — a help or a harm?
Personal anecdotes conflict with numerous studies saying socioeconomic status and other factors outweigh age in determining success in school. The age a child starts kindergarten has nothing to do with his or her long-term academic success, those studies say.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Of butterflies, children and a governor seeking re-election
Liberated butterflies, excitable pre-schoolers and gubernatorial politics intersected Wednesday as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy chose a YMCA playground in Meriden to publicize the allocation of funds to provide preschool education for 1,020 children.
Posted inEducation
Changing kindergarten entrance age: Fifth plan the charm?
Once again, the legislature will consider changing the age children must be to enter kindergarten — a proposal that has been made many times before but has never resulted in a change in state law.
Posted inEducation
The wheels on the omnibus preschool bill go round and round
Update: The state House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill early Saturday that sets up a system to drastically expand enrollment in public preschools over the next decade. The Senate passed it Saturday night.
Posted inEducation
Universal preschool initiative faces pushback in House
Democratic leadership is now reaching out to their 90 Democratic legislators to determine if they have the 76 votes needed for final passage of the plan for universal pre-K.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Op-ed: Connecticut Smart Start is smart policy
As many as 60,000 Connecticut children are not enrolled in any sort of pre-K program. These children are all but guaranteed to enter the classroom academically and socially behind their peers.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Op-ed: Preschool doors opening wider for Connecticut’s children
Today in Connecticut we are on the verge of exciting changes that may improve outcomes for all of our children.
Posted inEducation
The Basics: An effort to create universal pre-k in CT
The state Senate voted 33 to 2 on Friday for a bill aimed at moving the state toward “universal access” to preschool in Connecticut.
Posted inEducation
Malloy, lawmakers: dueling plans for ‘universal access’ to pre-k
When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed providing “universal access” to preschool, he said it would cost the state an additional $51.1 million a year. When Democratic legislators released their plans two months later to provide “universal access,” they said it would cost the state $10 million a year. Why such a huge difference?
Posted inEducation
Democrats unveil plan, and funding, for step toward universal pre-K
Thousands of Connecticut students start kindergarten each year already trailing their peers academically because they didn’t attend preschool. Democratic legislative leaders announced Wednesday they intend to pass legislation that will pay for thousands more children to enroll in public schools’ preschool programs.
