The state Senate voted Friday to pass a wide-ranging education bill, which puts Connecticut on track to significantly expand access to childcare and address a special education crisis faced by municipalities across the state.
Senate Bill 1, a flagship proposal from the state Senate’s Democratic majority, advanced to the House on a 32 – 4 vote.
Senate Democrats said the bill was intended to provide relief for parents struggling to pay for costly child care and take steps to address critical special education needs experienced by towns and cities.
The bill would create an independent investment vehicle to expand access to child care. The Early Childhood Education Endowment would rely on expected surplus funding, capped at $300 million in the first year and utilizing the total expected surplus in subsequent years.
The endowment would eventually support the creation of an estimated 16,000 additional preschool and infant toddler child care spaces. Under the bill, new slots would be free or reduced cost, depending on the income of the households enrolling their children in qualifying programs. Families earning less than $100,000 would receive free child care, while households earning more would have access to child care at a cost capped at 7% of their income.
Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, called the proposal a “historic investment in child care” and a turning point for the state.
“For too long, the high cost and limited availability of reliable care have pushed parents, especially women, out of the workforce and placed enormous strain on family budgets,” Looney said. “At the same time, low wages and meager benefits have driven providers out of the field. Senate Bill 1 takes a comprehensive approach to these challenges.”
Sen. Doug McCrory, co-chair of the legislature’s Education Committee, said the bill ensures that expanded child care access would be available in traditionally underserved communities.
“It ensures that funding doesn’t just flow to the communities that can afford to pay more, but reaches the families who need it most,” McCrory, D-Hartford, said. “Every child deserves the same strong start, no matter where they live.”
The bill, along with its companion proposal House Bill 5001, also seeks to address feedback from Connecticut communities, which have wrestled with the soaring and unpredictable costs associated with special education programing.
The bill creates a $10 million grant to incentivize the development of in-district programming and calls for a Request For Information to determine the most efficient transportation routes. Meanwhile, school districts would establish Instructional Support Partners who will work closely with teachers, parents, and school teams to streamline processes like IEP development.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said many of the bill’s provisions were efforts to respond to feedback from parents. One such provision requires out-of-district special education programs to notify parents and education officials of staffing changes that last more than 10 school days — a response to concerns about frequent staff turnover.
“We’re overhauling special education to bring more oversight, more efficiency, and a system that actually works for families and educators,” Duff said.
