“The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a priority bill on Saturday that promises to transform early childhood care and education for generations of families.
“Senate Bill 1, which also includes supports for special education, would create a new endowment for early childhood education that would draw up to $300 million from surplus funds each year. Depending on surplus funds available and how quickly the fund grows, it would eventually allow families making less than $100,000 to pay nothing for infant and toddler care and pre-K, while families making more than that would pay no more than 7% of their annual household income toward those expenses.
“The bill would also improve salaries for workers in the child care sector, and allows for funds to be spent on expanding or improving facilities. Those funds — $80 million — are expected to pass in a bonding bill.
“Gov. Ned Lamont, who is expected to sign the bill, reacted to its passage on X on Monday: ‘Working parents need childcare. It’s an essential part of keeping a job and growing an economy. I thank the legislature for approving my plan to enact the largest expansion of childcare access in state history. Let’s keep CT known as the most family friendly state in the nation!’ ”
— “Transformative CT early childhood education bill gets full passage,” by Laura Tillman, CT Mirror, June 2, 2025