This edition of our annual Early Care and Education Progress Report, which looks at funding and program developments through Fiscal Year 2013, finds that:
- Connecticut’s overall investment in early care and education has declined recently. Total spending on early care and education decreased in FY 13 from FY 12 by $4.2 million (1.8%) in inflation-adjusted terms, a change driven mainly by reduced spending in the state’s child care subsidy program, Care4Kids.
- Fewer children are receiving state subsidies for early care and education. The unduplicated number of children receiving state-subsidized care decreased between October 2011 and October 2012 by 61 infants and toddlers, which represents a reduction of 0.7%, and by 523 preschoolers, or a 1.6% reduction.
- Fewer children with subsidies are participating in accredited early care and education programs. The percentage of young children receiving subsidies attending accredited programs decreased by 6.3% (for a total reduction of 1,381 children).
- While child care and education subsidies predominantly go to the highest-need children, including those who come from poor and struggling families and communities and racial and ethnic minority groups, children in the poorest areas continue to attend preschool at a significantly lower rate than children in wealthier areas.
