by Coral Aponte
HARTFORD, CT – Key lawmakers advocated Tuesday for House Bill 5003, which would take $200 million from budget surplus funds over the next two years to prop up early childhood care and education programs.
The legislation also seeks to bond $20 million a year for five years for child care facility upgrades and construction.
In a news conference at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Rep. Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, detailed the bill’s intent.
“It delivers faster funding for families,” Farrar said. “It addresses the need to attract and retain childcare educators and 5003 also creates a way to continue to fund the much needed updates and new childcare facilities that our state needs.”
Last year, the General Assembly passed Public Act 24-91, establishing the legislative and programmatic language to start building the fund. This year, with bipartisan support, lawmakers hope to allocate the money.
HB 5003 would expand the childcare subsidy program – Care 4 Kids – while also trying to deliver that funding faster, Farrar said, adding that the bill is also written to retain and attract childcare educators.
“We’re not just looking at how we can increase educator pay, which is sorely needed, but also putting forward an opportunity for early childhood educators to get access to affordable health insurance,” Farrar said.
Lastly, the bill would establish a bonding plan for $20 million per year over five years to support facility upgrades and the creation of new facilities.
House Speaker Matt Ritter offers support for the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund Act at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Credit: Coral Aponte / CTNewsJunkie
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, also spoke in support of the legislation, calling Lamont’s budget proposal “a very strong step” toward securing a trust fund for childcare as a long-term investment.
Ritter also noted the high cost and importance of child care, suggesting that subsidizing the industry stimulates the state’s economy.
Rep. Brandon Chafee, D-Middletown, said he spends more on child care for his two children than he spends on his mortgage.
“Parents can’t afford to pay any more,” Chafee said. “The centers can’t really afford to charge any more, and therefore they can’t pay their staff more.”
Rep. Brandon Chafee, D-Middletown, speaks at a news conference in support of House Bill
5003 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Credit: Coral Aponte / CTNewsJunkie
Chafee also spoke in support of the bill alongside Farrar during a public hearing before the Children’s Committee on Tuesday.
Chafee told the committee that there are broader implications across the economy with childcare costing $2,000 to $4,000 per month for two children. He said there are not enough facilities and people in early childhood educator roles.
He also said that because costs for childcare are so high, some families are dropping out of the workforce to care for their own children, adding that by building the fund as a foundation, the effort will also improve the state’s economy.
Beth Bye, commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), testified that she appreciates the intent of the bill, but had concerns about how the funding was to be spent and she offered suggestions for amending the bill’s language.
According to Bye, the bill would require that 90% of state funds be spent every year with no guarantee that additional state funds will be available in the future. Expending 90% up front could create a hole in future budgets, she said, ultimately destabilizing the early care and education field.
Bye also wrote that the bill calls for the expansion of the eligibility parameters for the Care 4 Kids program, but the program already has a wait list. Bye said that expanding eligibility will only exacerbate that problem and leave more people without care.
“Despite concerns and comments expressed about the details and approach in this bill, OEC believes that, working together over the session, we can make significant progress toward the goals of the proposals,” Bye said.