Governor Lamont's budget falls short of the $50 million needed for early childhood education amid kindergarten eligibility changes. The Connecticut Project Action Fund urges prioritizing investment in our children's future.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2024
Contact:
Meghan Holden, The Connecticut Project, meghanholden@ctproject.org
NEW HAVEN — Governor Lamont today unveiled his proposed 2024 budget adjustment, which includes
$40 million in funding for early childhood education, far short of the $50 million that experts estimate is
needed to absorb the impact of a new kindergarten eligibility law. The following is a reaction from Garth
Harries, President and CEO of The Connecticut Project Action Fund:
“It’s commendable that Governor Lamont has included early childhood education as an important
tenant of his adjusted budget, but looking at the larger picture, it moves the sector backwards and runs
the risk of being lip service. Parents, educators, and the Governor’s own Blue Ribbon Panel have spoken
about the ways the early childhood education system is in crisis, and last year state decision-makers
made this crisis even worse with rushed and unfunded changes to kindergarten eligibility. Every budget
is a choice, and the question with our surpluses right now is whether the Governor will choose to pinch
pennies when it comes to kids, or whether he will prioritize giving kids the right start in the earliest years
of their lives. We urge the Governor and legislature to invest in our future by investing in kids now, with
at least $50 million to help families afford the kindergarten eligibility changes and access high quality
childcare.”
According to the state Office of Early Childhood Education and Department of Education, approximately
9,000 Connecticut children will be affected by the change to kindergarten eligibility, with half eligible for
subsidized early childcare. With an average cost of $12,731 per year for childcare in Connecticut, the
estimated cost of the kindergarten eligibility change is $50 million per year. In addition, in December,
the Governor’s own Blue Ribbon Panel recommended $148 million in funding to ease the early
childhood education crisis and make high-quality childcare affordable, accessible, and sustainable.
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The Connecticut Project is a social change organization that mobilizes communities, ideas, and resources
to improve systems and generate real-world outcomes for people that are lower-income or asset-limited.
We work for a just, thriving, and optimistic Connecticut where race, gender, income, geography, and
other circumstances no longer predetermine opportunity.