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Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is urging the Connecticut General Assembly to approve legislation he is proposing this session that would implement universal preschool.

“I want Connecticut to lead on early childhood education, and that means making preschool affordable and accessible for all of our kids,” Governor Lamont said. “Access to early childhood services is massively important to the state’s success, not only because these programs provide valuable tools for children that will lead them to professional achievements in the future, but also because being able to enroll your child in care right now means that parents can join the workforce and earn an income that supports their family. Connecticut has an opportunity to make an investment in our future by expanding access to affordable preschool.”

The governor’s proposal includes depositing a portion of the state’s anticipated surpluses over the next several years into a brand-new fund known as the Universal Preschool Endowment. The endowment would be seeded by $300 million from the fiscal year 2025 surplus, and in the following years any unappropriated surpluses from the General Fund will continue to be transferred into it. The endowment will be managed by the Office of the Treasurer, and the commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood may expend up to 10% of the balance of the endowment in any fiscal year.

The proposed use of the endowment aims to expand affordable preschool options for families by:

• Making preschool available at no cost to families earning up to $100,000 per year;
• Limiting the cost-share for families earning between $100,000 per year and $150,000 per year to a maximum of $20 per day;
• Creating 20,000 new preschool spaces by 2032;
• Reducing the cost to families for approximately 19,000 existing preschool spaces; and
• Being simple, easy to access, and flexible to meet family needs.

“Governor Lamont’s historic action to establish a Universal Preschool Endowment will make preschool more accessible, affordable, and for many, free,” Connecticut Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said. “It will stabilize the early care and education industry by increasing compensation for teachers and staff. This investment builds on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care, which brought together voices from across child care providers, businesses, government, and parents to provide a roadmap to guide ongoing investments in early education.”

“Governor Lamont’s proposal for universal preschool will make Connecticut a national leader among states because of its comprehensive approach to supporting children and families,” Walter Gilliam, executive director of the Buffet Early Childhood Institute, said. “It supports early learning and allows working families the ability to work. The focus on quality of care and options that meet family needs also stands out. Perhaps the most unique feature is that it protects the care of infants and toddlers while creating universal preschool for our threes and fours.”

The governor’s legislative proposal is House Bill 6867, An Act Creating the Universal Preschool Endowment. It has been referred to the Education Committee.

Opponents of HB 6867 liken Universal Preschool to "socialized babysitting or daycare, run by the same people in charge of an education system that regularly fails to educate students in academics, but has no problem indoctrinating them with gender ideology, telling young children they may have been born in the wrong body."

**Download: Fact sheet on Governor Lamont’s proposal

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