Governor Malloy’s proposed revisions to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 state budget contain significant new funding to expand access to preschool and to enhance preschool quality.
Key elements of his suggestions include:
- $11.5 million to create an additional 1,020 subsidized preschool slots for FY 15, and to provide a 3% rate increase to School Readiness Programs and Child Development Centers;
- $3 million to establish a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), which would create a standard basis for comparison across early education settings;
- An additional $15. 2 million for Care4Kids, which is designated both for an increase in rates for all providers (child care centers, family child care, and kith and kin) and to accommodate an expected caseload increase in FY 15; and
- $1 million for planning purposes to enable the State to achieve the Governor's stated goal of universal access to preschool by FY 19.
