The Appropriation Committee's proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget adjustments contain important increases in funding for quality and access in early care and education programs that incorporate and go beyond those proposed by the governor. For example, the committee provided new funding for 1,000 School Readiness slots – 500 more than the governor's proposed expansion. The Committee appropriated $700,000 more than the Governor's proposed $300,000 for a K-3 reading assessment pilot. It also allocated $1.94 million of new funding for Family Resource Centers, $1.86 million for School-Based Health Clinics, and $900,000 for wraparound services in the ten lowest-performing districts.
The Committee maintained the funding increases proposed by the governor in several areas. These include $3 million in new money for professional development for the early childhood workforce, as well as a 7% increase for Care4Kids from the FY 12 appropriation. The Committee’s budget held funding at originally budgeted levels for a number of programs, reversing some cuts in the Governor’s budget. It also rejected the Governor’s proposed move of several programs, including Connecticut Charts-a-Course, from the Department of Social Services (DSS) to the State Department of Education (SDE).
