Cyd Oppenheimer, J.D.

The early childhood years are a time of rapid cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and motor development. However, despite a professed commitment among policymakers to expand early care and education opportunities, overall state funding for early care is lower than it was in 2002.

Connecticut can improve quality and access to its early care system by: increasing per-child funding for all state-subsidized early care and education programs to a rate based on the actual cost of providing high quality programs; fully funding both the rating and improvement elements of a Quality Rating and Improvement System; increasing funding for professional development and scholarship assistance for child care staff; continuing to expand School Readiness so that all eligible children have access to programs; expanding consultation and wraparound services in the areas of children's health, mental health, and social-emotional development; and helping parents afford to stay home and care for their own children in their earliest years of life, through paid family leave. (July 2010)

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