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. Continue Reading →
early education
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Malloy, lawmakers: dueling plans for ‘universal access’ to pre-k
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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? Continue Reading →
Filed under: Early Childhood Education, Schools/Child Welfare, early education, pre-K, preschool, Rep. Andy Fleischmann, Sen. Beth Bye, universal preschool
Report: Fewer families get help from state for day care
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The number of families the state helped to cover the cost of preschool or day care decreased by nearly 600 infants and toddlers between fiscal 2012 and 2013, a state child-advocacy group reported Friday. The decrease follows the highly touted initiative approved by state legislators and the governor that funded spots for 1,000 more children in preschool programs across the state starting in fiscal 2013. While funding was added to increase enrollment at the school-based School Readiness programs, the state’s Care4Kids program was cut, when adjusted for inflation. Care4Kids provides child care subsidies for low-income families to enroll their children in either day care centers, home-based programs or school-based programs.
“The state continues to underserve our youngest children,” the report concludes. By the group’s tally, total state funding for early care and education decreased by $4.2 million between the fiscal years that ended June 2012 and June 2013, after taking inflation into account. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Early Childhood Education, Schools/Child Welfare, Care4Kids, daycare, early education
Safety violations found at all 20 home day care centers audited in CT, federal report says
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When parents search for day care, many trust that because a center or a home is licensed by the state, it must be safe. But a federal audit of 20 home day care providers in Connecticut tells a different story. “We determined that all 20 of the providers that we reviewed did not comply with one or more state licensing requirements to ensure the health and safety of children,” Deputy Inspector General Gloria L. Jarmon, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reported Tuesday. The problems cited at the home day care centers — in Bridgeport, East Hartford, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Waterbury, Windsor and Windsor Locks — included dog droppings in the outdoor play area at several homes to dead insects lying near dining areas. One center provided just two toys for its children play with. Continue Reading →