Connecticut
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| Strategy Name | Strategy Type(s) | Year | Funding Amount | Funding Source | Features at a Glance | |
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Connecticut Early Care and Education (ECE) Reporter
Launched in 2021 by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Connecticut’s ECE Reporter is an integrated data system for internal use that replaced the state’s former Early Childhood Information System. The system acts as a warehouse of demographic, program, and individual data collected from state-funded early childhood programs. All program- and child-level data is private and accessible only to administrators from the Office of Early Childhood; program- and child-level data for individual programs is also accessible to the lead administrator at each program. Other agencies may receive aggregate, deidentified information, which may be linked to the Department of Education's statewide longitudinal data systems (e.g., Connecticut P-20). The data is used for program payment, public funding, reporting, and research on early care and education.
Learn More: Connecticut ECE Reporter
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2021 |
State Dedicated Funding Stream
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Early childhood integrated data system that collects, integrates, maintains, stores, and reports information from early childhood programs across multiple agencies
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Launched in 2021 by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Connecticut’s ECE Reporter is an integrated data system for internal use that replaced the state’s former Early Childhood Information System. The system acts as a warehouse of demographic, program, and individual data collected from state-funded early childhood programs. All program- and child-level data is private and accessible only to administrators from the Office of Early Childhood; program- and child-level data for individual programs is also accessible to the lead administrator at each program. Other agencies may receive aggregate, deidentified information, which may be linked to the Department of Education's statewide longitudinal data systems (e.g., Connecticut P-20). The data is used for program payment, public funding, reporting, and research on early care and education.
Learn More: Connecticut ECE Reporter
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Connecticut Smart Start
In 2014, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed Smart Start into law, expanding preschool in public school buildings using funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Smart Start preschool classrooms must provide high-quality early education; at a minimum, they must be open the length of the school day and during the entire school year. For FY 2016–25, the program is funded at $10 million per year.
Learn More/Source: Fourteen Communities Awarded Funding to Create 416 Additional Preschool Slots
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2014 | $10 million annually |
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Master Tobacco Settlement funds provided approximately $10 million annually to fund pre-K
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In 2014, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed Smart Start into law, expanding preschool in public school buildings using funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Smart Start preschool classrooms must provide high-quality early education; at a minimum, they must be open the length of the school day and during the entire school year. For FY 2016–25, the program is funded at $10 million per year.
Learn More/Source: Fourteen Communities Awarded Funding to Create 416 Additional Preschool Slots
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Early Childhood Education Endowment
In June 2025, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1), establishing a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment as a permanent vehicle for dedicated investment in early education. Legislators allocated $300 million in unappropriated surplus funding from the FY2025 budget as an initial investment. In future years, the endowment will grow through the addition of annual budget surpluses and investments.
The Early Childhood Education Endowment supports the expansion of early education programs by adding tens of thousands of slots to Connecticut’s state-funded early care and education system; it aims to create 16,000 new infant through preschool slots by 2032. To achieve this goal, beginning in FY2028, the Endowment will make early childhood education available at no cost to families who earn less than $100,000 per year. For families earning more than $100,000 per year, the fund will subsidize a sliding scale of payments for early education, topping out at no more than 7% of family income.
The fund will offer a sliding scale of no more than 7% for families earning more than $100,000 per year.
SB1 requires that at least 35% of new early education slots funded by the Endowment are for infants and toddlers.
learn more: early childhood education endowment
Sources:
Tillman, L. (2025, June 2). Transformative CT early childhood education bill gets full passage. CT Mirror.
Office of the Governor. (2025, June 10). Governor Lamont Celebrates Historic Legislative Session Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education.
The Office of Treasurer Erick Russell. (2025, July 1). Treasurer Russell Announces Investment of $300 Million in Newly Created Early Childhood Education Endowment.
Glesby, L. (2025, July 1). Childcare Endowment Lands $300M. New Haven Independent.
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2025 | $300 million |
State Dedicated Funding Stream
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Senate Bill 1 established a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment as a permanent vehicle for dedicated investment in early education
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In June 2025, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1), establishing a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment as a permanent vehicle for dedicated investment in early education. Legislators allocated $300 million in unappropriated surplus funding from the FY2025 budget as an initial investment. In future years, the endowment will grow through the addition of annual budget surpluses and investments.
The Early Childhood Education Endowment supports the expansion of early education programs by adding tens of thousands of slots to Connecticut’s state-funded early care and education system; it aims to create 16,000 new infant through preschool slots by 2032. To achieve this goal, beginning in FY2028, the Endowment will make early childhood education available at no cost to families who earn less than $100,000 per year. For families earning more than $100,000 per year, the fund will subsidize a sliding scale of payments for early education, topping out at no more than 7% of family income.
The fund will offer a sliding scale of no more than 7% for families earning more than $100,000 per year.
SB1 requires that at least 35% of new early education slots funded by the Endowment are for infants and toddlers.
learn more: early childhood education endowment
Sources:
Tillman, L. (2025, June 2). Transformative CT early childhood education bill gets full passage. CT Mirror.
Office of the Governor. (2025, June 10). Governor Lamont Celebrates Historic Legislative Session Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education.
The Office of Treasurer Erick Russell. (2025, July 1). Treasurer Russell Announces Investment of $300 Million in Newly Created Early Childhood Education Endowment.
Glesby, L. (2025, July 1). Childcare Endowment Lands $300M. New Haven Independent.
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Demographics Link copied!
Demographics Data Scorecard
State population
3,626,205 Source U.S. Census, 2022
Rural %
13.7% Source U.S. Census, 2020
Urban %
86.3% Source U.S. Census, 2020
Number of children 0–4
178,211 Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Poverty levels - children 0—8 below 200% poverty
29% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Median family income among households with children
$105,000.00 Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Unemployment rate
3.9% Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2024
Unemployment rate of parents
5% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Children under age 6 with all available parents in the labor force
73% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Children living in households with a high housing cost burden
31% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Child Population by Race and Ethnicity Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Race and Ethnicity
- American Indian and Alaska Native (.5%)
- Asian (5%)
- Black or African American (12%)
- Hispanic or Latino (26%)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (.5%)
- Two or more races (4%)
- White, not Hispanic or Latino (52%)
| Year | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
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| Governor | D | D | D | D | D |
| State House | D | D | D | D | D |
| State Senate | D | D | D | D | D |
Early Childhood Education Programs Link copied!
Early Childhood Education Programs
| Program Name | Program Length* | Universal or Targeted Pre-K Policy | State Spending Per Child |
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| School Readiness Program (SR) Source: NIEER 2023 | Targeted Pre-K Policy (3- and 4-Year-Olds) Source: NIEER 2023 | ||
| Child Day Care Contracts (CDCC) Source: NIEER 2023 | Targeted Pre-K Policy (3- and 4-Year-Olds) Source: NIEER 2023 | ||
| Smart Start Source: NIEER 2023 | Targeted Pre-K Policy (3- and 4-Year-Olds) Source: NIEER 2023 |
3-Year-Olds Enrolled in Early Childhood Education Programs NIEER 2023
Programs
- Percent of 3-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Public Pre-K
- Percent of 3-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Head Start
- Percent of 3-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Special Education
- Percent of 3-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Other/None
4-Year-Olds Enrolled in Early Childhood Education Programs NIEER 2023
Programs
- Percent of 4-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Public Pre-K
- Percent of 4-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Head Start
- Percent of 4-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Special Education
- Percent of 4-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Other/None
Workforce Link copied!
2017–2019 Median Hourly Wages Source CSCCE 2018, 2020
Role
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Child Care Workers
$12.42 (2017, adjusted)
$12.74 (2019) -
Preschool Teachers
$17.34 (2017, adjusted)
$17.46 (2019) -
Preschool or Child Care Center Directors
$25.85 (2017, adjusted)
$28.07 (2019)
Funding Sources Link copied!
Federal and State Early Childhood Education Funding (in Millions) Source First Five Years Fund, 2024
Funding Source
- Head Start and Early Head Start Funding ($75)
- CCDBG & Mandatory Funds ($100.6)
- CCDBG State Match ($20.9)
- State-Funded Pre-K ($140.2)
- MIECHV ($10.7)
- IDEA Part C ($4.7)
- IDEA Part B, Sec 619 ($5.4)
- TANF Early Learning and Care ($144.3)
- Preschool Development Grant Birth ($3.9)