WE NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT
FUNDING EARLY CHILDHOOD.
Please watch this short message from our Executive Director, Merrill Gay, about the proposed state budget for the next fiscal year, and why we need you (yes, YOU!) to let legislators know we need their support now.
Key Takeaways about the proposed budget for the next fiscal year:
There are NO additional funds for Birth to Three. This will be a disaster for families who rely on Birth to Three for early intervention services and developmental support for children with special needs.
There is NO additional funding for Care4Kids. The parents of the over 4,000 children on the Care4Kids waitlist will continue to miss out on a paycheck, and providers who rely on Care4Kids to stay open will continue to struggle. Just a few weeks ago, a center in Manchester closed with zero notice to families for this exact reason.
There are a whole lot of proposed tax credits, but NO child tax credit that would provide relief to 75% of families throughout the state.
There is NOT ENOUGH money in the budget to fund the Early Childhood Education Endowment. We’ve all been waiting for July 2027, when Early Start CT is supposed to make child care free for families earning less than $100,000 per year. But if we give away all the revenue in tax breaks, there will be no money left over to fund the endowment and keep the promise of free child care.
There’s still hope - but we need YOUR help.
Getting all these programs funded depends on how much pressure we can put on legislators and Governor Lamont, so we need you to get involved.
On Wednesday, April 8, parents, child care providers, and other early childhood advocates from across the state will come to the Capitol Building in Hartford to show our leaders that we need them to act. (You can learn more about Early Childhood Advocacy Day here.) We’ll talk to them directly about why these programs are essential, and hand-deliver letters from people who can’t be there in person.
Can we count on you? Scroll down for your action plan and resources to start writing your story.
Now, let’s get to work.
We made it easy to stand up for young children and their families and caregivers in Connecticut.
Just click the down-arrow next to each step to get started.
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Click this link to let us know you’ll be with us at the Capitol on April 8th. We’ll save you a t-shirt, and lunch is on us.
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Ask friends, family, coworkers, and child care providers - everyone you know! - for their support. Most people care about families with young children, and we need all hands on deck! Send them this link so they can watch the video and see what’s at stake.
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Start writing your letters, and make sure the people you invite are writing theirs, too. We have some tips for writing these letters below - just keep scrolling!
Need some help writing your letter?
This letter does NOT have to be long. An easy format to follow is:
First paragraph: Introduce yourself and tell them your role in early childhood (parent, child care provider, educator, advocate, employer of parents with young children, etc.) and why free and affordable is so important to you, your family, your business, and/or your staff.
Second paragraph: Share how you felt when you heard the news that a law had been passed to make child care free starting in July 2027. Share how this will make a difference in your life. Be as detailed as you’re comfortable with.
Third paragraph: Share that you recently found out the state could be short on funds and that might mean there won’t be any money left for a deposit to the Endowment.
This letter does not have to contain a lot of facts and figures. Organizations like ours share that kind of information with legislators every single day. They need to hear your story. You can share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with - what matters is that it comes from your own personal experience. Here are some ideas for things you can talk about: