by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — Families in need of childcare and childcare providers could get help with House Bill 5003 passing the state House of Representatives late Saturday.
The bill now heads to the state Senate.
State Rep. Corey Paris, D-Stamford, said caring for a child should not be an economic barrier.
“It’s definitely a shared societal responsibility, and a foundational investment,” he said.
The bill includes numerous provisions, including an early education portal. According to Paris, the portal would centralize various aspects of child care, including available slots, in real time. Families would be able to find available spaces, apply for subsidies and assistance and enroll their child directly.
On the other side, providers would be able to update slot availability, manage payments and interact directly with the Office of Early Childhood.
The bill also allows for home-based child care facilities to increase enrollment from nine children to 12, provided they meet certain safety and staffing requirements.
Debate on the bill consisted mainly of a series of exchanges between Paris and Republican Anne Dauphinais of Killingly, who is the ranking Republican on the Committee on Children.
State Rep. Anne Dauphinais speaks during debate on a child care bill on May 31, 2025. Credit: Screen capture / CTN
Among other questions, Dauphinais asked if there weren’t already programs that do the same thing as the portal proposes, and if local zoning or neighborhood residents would be part of the process for granting endorsements for the expanded childcare facilities.
In response, Paris said the existing online resources would largely be defunct as the new portal replaces them, and that family homecare centers already have many requirements to get their licenses and that would not change.
Following the bill’s passage by a 133-8 margin with eight representatives absent or not voting, Paris called it “a big win for families, businesses, and marginalized communities in Connecticut.”
State Rep. Trenee McGee, D-West Haven, called HB 5003 a win-win for women of color who, she said, make up a large percentage of child care workers.
“HB 5003 will make childcare more affordable, but it will also provide parents in the field an opportunity to better provide for their families,” she said. A related bill, Senate Bill 1, had also passed the House on a party-line 101-45 vote.