This report highlights the impact of Governor Malloy's proposed budget on early care and education. The Governor's budget, if passed, would, among other things:
- Consolidate programs from five state agencies into a new Office of Early Childhood in order to better coordinate and deliver services to children and families. Programs moving into this new office would include: Care4Kids, School Readiness, State-Funded Child Care Centers, Head Start, Birth-to-Three, CT Charts-a-Course, and various quality enhancement programs.
- Maintain funding for major ECE programs, including: State-Funded Centers, School Readiness Programs in Priority and Competitive Districts, quality enhancement, Head Start, Family Resource Centers, the Nurturing Families Network, and Help Me Grow.
- Close Care4Kids eligibility to currently enrolled families whose income rises about 50% of the state median income (SMI). (At present, once in the program, families may stay enrolled in Care4Kids as long as their income is below 75% of SMI).
- Cut or eliminate a number of smaller programs. Head Start Early Childhood Link, wraparound services, School Based Health Centers, and the K-3 Reading Assessment Pilot would see cuts of around 10%. Funding for many elements of the Children's Trust Fund (including Family Empowerment, Family School Connection, the Children's Law Center and the Kinship Fund) would be eliminated, as would be funding for Even Start and Parent Universities.
