HARTFORD, CT — The campus of one of Connecticut’s most prestigious colleges may seem like an odd location to announce a preschool program, but according to the state and local officials who gathered Thursday at Trinity College, the connection is eminently logical.
“Preschool is where the foundations of lifelong learning begin,” said Catherine Wright, a preschool teacher.
Beth Bye, commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood, agreed. She pointed out that Gov. Ned Lamont’s staff includes employees who participated in Head Start and other early learning programs, and now have advanced college degrees.
“It doesn’t get better than that,” she said. “A good start is building future leaders and people who are making a difference.”
State officials and preschool educators touted the state’s new Early Childhood Education Endowment. The program, established in the recently concluded 2025 legislative session, will provide free early childhood care for those earning less than $100,000, and at reduced cost for those earning more.
The program is funded on an ongoing basis by a $300 million allocation from the state’s 2025 surplus.
State Treasurer Erick Russell speaks about Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment on July 24, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
Treasurer Erick Russell, whose office will be responsible for growing the allocation through investment to continue funding the program, said the endowment “marks a milestone in the state’s commitment to future generations in our state.”
Russell said the goal was to invest the funds to increase the endowment to create more childcare spots and expand the investment in the childcare workforce. In the long term, Russell said, the fund would be a sustainable source of funding that “would ultimately be immune from some of the volatility of a general fund budget.”
State Rep. Mary Welander, D-Orange, who chairs the Early Childhood Caucus, called the endowment “a revolutionary investment in the future of Connecticut that will allow families to access the care that they need for their children, not just through available spots but for reasonable cost.”
Welander said underappreciated aspects of the endowment were its impact on the stability of the state’s families and the state economy.
“Access to quality child care is key to both,” she said.
Welander said studies showed women are more likely to be the at-home parent if child care is not affordable or available. This leads to a gender gap in things like employment and retirement savings. And with women on average living about five years longer than men, they need more retirement savings, not less, she said.
Although about 40% of small business owners in Connecticut are women, about 92% of early child care businesses are women-owned, she said.
State Rep. Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, said for years legislators had heard from families and businesses that one of their top priorities was lowering the cost of child care.
“We are saying loud and clear that we listened and we took action on your behalf,” she said.
Gov. Ned Lamont greets staff at the Trinity College Community Child Center on July 24, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
Gov. Ned Lamont acknowledged that early child care was expensive, but he said making Connecticut a little less expensive was a calling card of his administration.
“If we get this right, it’s going to be free of charge for all families earning up to $100,000, and capped at 7% thereafter,” he said. “I want to make sure that no kid is denied access to the best early childhood education … due to income.”
Lamont also touted the benefits of an endowment.
“We’re building this endowment … growing that over time. It’s an endowment permanently dedicated to the kids,” he said.
Not everyone shared Lamont’s enthusiasm for the endowment. In a joint statement, Republican senators Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, Heather Somers of Groton, and Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield said the endowment amounted to an off-budget slush fund that would lead to future tax hikes.
“Republicans support pre-K investments, but it must be done the right way and within the confines of the state budget,” they wrote.
In supporting the measure, they said Lamont and Connecticut Democrats “thumb their noses” at state taxpayers.
“If the Governor and legislative Democrats really believed in investing in our future, they wouldn’t be doing it through slush funds. They would be doing it within the confines of our state budget,” they wrote.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, added he was concerned about the fund’s future.
“We must address the critical question of sustainability,” Candelora said. “Democratic leaders are making long-term promises to early childhood educators based on the assumption that budget surpluses will continue indefinitely.”
He said parents and educators “deserve stability, not false hope.”
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