By Jillian Gilchrest,, Early Care & Education Policy Analyst, Connecticut Association for Human Services
The following is a summary of early care and education program state budge cuts proposed by Governor Malloy in response to the rejection of the negotiated union concessions plan. Unless (a) the legislature modifies these cuts or (b) the unions accept the clarified concessions package, they shall go into effect.
Details on these cuts follow below.
Birth to Three Program, Department of Developmental Services
Under the proposal, the state-funded program, Early Connections, will be eliminated. Early Connections serves children in the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Central areas of the state. Contracted programs serving the same areas will be expected to accommodate the 250 families currently served by Early Connections.
Connecticut Charts A Course, Department of Social Services
The Charts‐A‐Course program has several professional development components including scholarship assistance for early care and education providers. The scholarship assistance program assists child care workers in meeting the state's newly enacted requirement, that an individual with primary responsibility for a classroom have a bachelor's degree or teaching certificate by 2020. Under the proposal, Charts A Course will lose 40% of its funding, resulting in the elimination of the early childhood professional scholarships. Elimination of this funding could hurt Connecticut chances for federal Early Learning Challenge funding.
Before and After School Child Care Program, Department of Social Services
Currently, the department supports before and after school child care for school-age children in seven municipalities (Cromwell, Danbury, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, Stamford and West Haven) by helping to defray administrative expenses such as insurance and utilities. These municipalities receive grant funds from the department ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 per state fiscal year. Under the proposal, administrative supports will be eliminated.
Children's Trust Fund Programs, Department of Social Services
Under the proposal, the Family School Connection, Children's Law Center & Kinship Fund programs are impacted.
Family School Connection –provides intensive home visiting services to families whose children are frequently truant, tardy, or otherwise at risk of school failure. The program is offered K-12 at five elementary schools and serves 170 families.
Children's Law Center –provides experienced lawyers for indigent children. The lawyers give them a voice and represent them in family court. The program provided services to 240 adults and 375 children.
Kinship Fund – is a probate court-administered program that awards small grants to aid children living with relatives who are court-appointed guardians. The grants provide for a range of activities including tutoring, camp, extra-curricular experiences and program fees, and respite for grandparents. The Kinship and Respite Funds provided services to 1,266 children and 822 adults.
Family Resource Centers, Department of Education
Located in public school buildings, the Family Resource Centers offer parent education and training, child care, literacy programs, home visits and counseling to at-risk families, screening of young children for developmental delays, and basic social services, such as heating assistance.
Bridgeport ABCD Program , Department of Education
ABCD is an early childhood program in Bridgeport whose child to staff ratios will double under this proposal. ABCD also operates the Total Learning Program, which provides wrap-around services to 1,000 high-risk school children/families in the Bridgeport Public Schools. These services, which include school-based Child FIRST mental health services and Head Start model comprehensive case management services for health and social services, will be eliminated under the proposal.
Regional Education Service Centers, Department of Education
RESCs were created more than 30 years ago by legislative mandate to help districts communicate and collaborate. RESCs' cost-efficient, cooperative efforts have saved money for Connecticut school districts and have enabled schools to expand services beyond what they could have accomplished alone. The proposal will completely eliminate all state RESC funding except for $50,000 for a regional transportation and school calendar study. The RESCs operate with other sources of funding.
Even Start, Department of Education
Even Start currently serves 42 at-risk children per month. This program integrates early childhood education and education for parents of young children, giving families access to the training and support they need to create a literate home environment and to enhance the academic achievement of their children. Under the proposal, Even Start will lose the new state program funding it was slated to gain in the face of discontinued federal funding.
After School Program, Department of Education
The Afterschool Program currently serves 4,700 students and their families in 30 towns and cities across the state and provides jobs for more than 450 people. The proposed cut of 50% in the first year and 72% in the second year would eliminate after school programs for 3,384 children and jobs for 325 people in the second year, as well as decimate the infrastructure of after school programming that families have come to rely on.
