Advocates Praise Governor Lamont’s Changes to Child Care and Early Education Programs, Call for More Funding to Fix Connecticut’s Child Care Crisis
- Child Care for CT
- Oct 4, 2024
- 2 min read
For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 3, 2024
Contact on behalf of Child Care for CT: Emma Woods, emma.woods@617mediagroup.com
Advocates Praise Governor Lamont’s Changes to Child Care and
Early Education Programs, Call for More Funding to Fix Connecticut’s Child Care Crisis
Growing coalition of parents, providers, and community members urges Governor and Legislature to make child care their top priority in the next legislative session
Hartford, CT – In response to Governor Lamont’s recently-announced changes to Connecticut’s child care and early education programs aimed at easing enrollment and lessening costs for families, Child Care for CT’s Future praised the Governor’s actions as a victory for the state.
“Thank you, Governor Lamont, for listening to parents, providers, and community members and making these much-needed improvements to our child care system. Our whole state benefits when more children are enrolled in high-quality, affordable child care programs,” said Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, Director of Child Care for CT.
The coalition praised the adoption of multiple changes that they have advocated for at the state Legislature, including capping family fees for Care 4 Kids at 7% of household income, increasing slots in the program, and allowing families to remain enrolled until their household income reaches 85% of the state median income.
“Connecticut’s child care system has been in crisis. The cost for families is too high, the pay for providers is too low, and our economy is suffering. These changes mark an important step forward toward fixing child care in our state,” said Bermúdez Zimmerman.
Advocates echoed the Governor’s proclamation that adding child care capacity is a boost to Connecticut’s economy, as every dollar invested in child care means an expected one-year return of $13.50 in approximate economic benefits.
“The lack of affordable child care is squeezing working parents, businesses, and taxpayers. Parents are staying home because they can’t afford to work, and our state misses out on $1.5 billion yearly in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue,” Bermúdez Zimmerman continued.
Noting there is more work to be done to ensure every family has access to high-quality, affordable child care programs, Child Care for CT urged the Governor and Legislature to make child care their top priority in the 2025 legislative session.
“We need a fully-funded child care system so our children, families, and economy can thrive. We look forward to working with our partners in Government to fix child care in Connecticut,” concluded Bermúdez Zimmerman.
About Child Care for CT
Child Care for CT is a coalition of parents, providers, business leaders, and community members calling on our state’s elected leaders to fix child care in Connecticut. In the past three sessions, the coalition has already achieved critical victories, including more than $620 million in one-year investments and the creation of a dedicated fund for child care. Now, Child Care for CT is fighting to pass laws that will fully and permanently invest in an equitable child care system so our children, families, and economy can thrive. Learn more at ChildCareforCT.org.