Education Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: HB-6558
AN ACT CONCERNING ISSUES RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF EARLY
Title: CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND SERVICES IN CONNECTICUT.
Vote Date: 3/15/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference to Appropriations
PH Date: 3/8/2021
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Education Committee
REASONS FOR BILL:
This bill seeks to establish a program that authorizes the Commissioner of Early Childhood to
issue a license to a person or group of persons to operate a family childcare home in a space
that has been provided by an association, organization, corporation, institution, or agency.
Section 1: Allows the OEC commissioner to issue family childcare home licenses in FY 22-26
to providers in certain cities who are partnering with another agency for space in a facility.
Section 2: Bill will establish an early childhood educator loan forgiveness grant program
administered by the OHE and OEC.
Section 3: Establishes childcare provider tax credit.
Sections 4-7: Extension of Care 4 Kids. Extends Care 4 Kids childcare subsidy eligibility to
higher education students and job seekers. Requires the Care 4 Kids subsidy amount paid to
childcare providers to be at least 75% of the market rate.
Section 8: Establishes a 13-member early childhood workforce development needs task
force.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
Beth Bye- Commissioner, Office of Early Childhood:
Section 4 would expand the allowable activities under the Care 4 Kids program, to include
public or independent institutions of higher education, private occupational schools, Even
Start, and adult education programs. We know that well-structured career pathway based in
education and training can support upward economic mobility for low-income families. At the
same time, the OEC recognizes that parents face many challenges when they pursue further
education or job training including childcare. This need creates an opportunity to support
both parents and children in a Two Generation approach. Although far from a settled matter,
recent research suggests that a Two Generation approach can disrupt the cycle of
intergeneration poverty for these families and result in better outcomes.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Lina Kronenberger, Donna Labbe, Laiza Melndez, Connecticuts Even Start Two
Generation Directors Coalition: What makes Even Start unique is not only the population
we serve, but that we are a nationally recognized two-generation learning program. The
funding that Even Start receives helps to create a direct link for parents to training and entry
into the workforce and better prepared children. This program is life changing. It works.
Parents will tell you how they are better prepared to participate in the workforce, their children
are off to a good start, and they are more effective parents.
Representative Kate Farrar, Deputy Majority Caucus Chair, House of Representatives:
Connecticut cannot get back to work if women cannot get back to work. And women cannot
get back to work unless there are opportunities to access affordable childcare and the
childcare support necessary to complete education and training. Our state can lead a
recovery that focuses on fairness and equity. We can advance policies that close the long-
standing gender and racial wage gaps with equitable pathways to high-wage and high-growth
jobs. These pathways are only possible with the availability of childcare and the wrap-around
supports of transportation, healthcare, and affordable housing.
Stephen Anderson, President, Connecticut State Employees Association SIEU Local
Izzi Greenberg, Executive Director, Middlesex Coalition for Children
Adrienne Sandiford
Allyx Schiavone, Executive Director, Friends Center for Children
This bill will benefit parents, children, and family childcare providers. From a student loan
forgiveness program for early childhood educators to the expansion of Care4Kids, this bill will
help providers continue their education while also giving more working parents access to
reliable childcare.
Dr. Paige M. Bray, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of
Hartford
Robin Golia
Stephen Hegedus, President, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Connecticut Chapter
With the tax credit, student loan forgiveness and Sec 7 establishing a task force, this bill
places compensation as a distinguishing factor for systemic change at this critical moment in
our collective histories. As we see happening today, even essential minimum wage
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increases, not education degrees, are causing strain in the early childhood care industry as
there is no revenue stream to address pay increases.
Elizabeth C. Brown, Board Member, Riba Aspira Career Academy, Waterbury
Elizabeth Fraser, Policy Director, Connecticut Association of Human Services
Bridgette Gonzales
Madeline Granato, Policy Director, Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund
Sierra Ransom
The issue of affordable childcare has been highlighted during this pandemic. Lack of
childcare drove over 800,000 women to leave the workforce and others to leave educational
institutions and data shows the majority were women of color. We strongly support expanding
eligibility for childcare subsidies in the Care4Kids program and know it will make a great
difference to close the equity gap in Connecticut.
John L. Cattelan, Executive Director, Connecticut Alliance of YMCAs
Cathy Flynn
Tomas Olivo, Initiative Director, RIBA Aspira, Working Cities Challenge
Karen Pascale, Early Head Start Director, United Way of Greater New Haven
Adiela Rodriguez
Lisa Tepper Bates and Alex Johnson, Co-Conveners, Campaign for Working
Connecticut
They support Section 4 of the proposed bill, which would open eligibility for the Care4Kids
child care subsidy program to parents who have previously been shut out of the program,
Parents in the Even Start program or other Adult Education programs approved by the OEC
Commissioner, parents in Job training programs, and parents enrolled in postsecondary
education programs.
Julie Clark, Director, CAST Preschool and Childcare Center:
The proposal to forgive student loans for teachers who work in the field for 4 years and the
proposal to offer tax incentives are good ones. The problem with them is that many early
childhood educators have degrees in different fields. Their unique skills, diverse backgrounds
and their love and respect for young children often make them well suited for the job. By
offering these incentives to work in the field of early childhood - no matter what higher degree
a person has earned - would significantly help to widen the job force, making it easier to hire
talented teachers.
Michelle Dent, Professor
Hamish MacPhail, Policy and Research Director, ConnCAN
Christine Miles
Daniel Pearson, State Director, Educators for Excellence-Connecticut
Lynne Skene Johnson, Adjunct Professor, University of Hartford
Cheryl Wheeler
Providing student loan forgiveness is a good start to demonstrating our state's commitment to
supporting our early childhood workforce. Establishing a task force to analyze and make
recommendations concerning compensation tied to credentialing and competencies is a
crucial next step. We need to finally take a stand and tell the early educators of Connecticut
that we know how important they are, and we will support them, just like they support the
children and families they work with.
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Merrill Gay, Executive Director, Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance: Supports the bill
but suggests that it be amended to require Care4Kids to pay providers at a rate equivalent to
the 75th percentile of the market, as these parents are still priced out of 75% of preschool
spaces. Also suggests Section 7 be edited to charge the taskforce with recommending
methods to deliver higher compensation to early educators attaining degrees.
Georgia Goldburn, Director, Hope Child Development Center
Susan Radway, Executive Director, Riverfront Children's Center
Edie Reichard, Director, Sleeping Giant Day Care
Support the bill but oppose Section 7, because while it would ensure students in ECE
programs a path to higher earning careers, it shuts down the pipeline of workers for the non-
public childcare industry and creates a glide path for the existing workforce to enter into the
public schools, threatening the existence of private centers.
Marlo Greponne, Executive Director, Human Recourses Agency of New Britain, Inc.
Jessica Powell, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Southern
Connecticut State University
Wendy Waithe Simmons, Executive Director, New Haven Children's Ideal Learning
District
This bill will increase recourses to improve the quality of services for children. Early childhood
educators who have demonstrated their commitment to underserved communities deserve
student loan forgiveness. Connecticut must join the other 48 states that allow low-income
parents enrolled in job training or education to receive a child care subsidy.
Glory J. Smith, Executive Director, Morning Glory Early Learning Center LLC.:
Recommends another layer of diverse collaborative stakeholders prior to the task force and
its objective, comprised of a grassroots membership that is made up of early childhood
systems builders, early childhood educators, childcare businesses, parents and state
stakeholders. This intervening layer would be impacted by any and all recommendations for
grandfathered credential holders and applicants for any newly constructed early childhood
teacher credentialing.
Susan Vater, President of the Board of Directors, Connecticut Association for Infant
Mental Health: Asks that a seat be added for CT-AIMH on the task force, as it concerns
infants, young children and their familys health, mental health, or healthy development. CT-
AIMH is a professional statewide non-profit organization with over 250 members that offers
education and expertise in infant and early childhood mental health
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
Patrice Farquharson, Executive Director, West Haven Child Development Center:
I vehemently oppose section 7, the creation of a task force that will be charged with making
recommendations for a new early childhood teacher license or credential jointly issued by the
Office of Early Childhood (OEC) and the Department of Education (SDE) Solving the
childcare industry's compensation crisis will move C.T. towards a more equitable early care
and education system with a robust pipeline of highly qualified workers, which cannot be
done without the makeup of those actually in the field. This task force is a death knell for
childcare businesses and should not be allowed to advance.
Page 4 of 5 HB-6558
Ronald Goodmaster
Anne Manusky, President, Connecticut Republican Assembly
Connecticut has seen an uptick in issues of children taught to learn over time. Rather than
giving them a safe, loving environment these pre-schools are being required to teach the
children. It must stop. If Connecticut has quality, reasonably priced, safe, day care
opportunities for parents to choose from for those with children under six years of age, and
not pushing education, the legislature is providing for families.
Kim Harris: Section 7 of this bill will take away our ability to create legacies that support trust
and longevity. Access to business ownership leads to legacy building and a future for our
children, our community that represents who we are.
David Kulick, Co-President and Karen Rainville, Executive Director, Connecticut
Association for the Education of Young Children
Tamesha Robinson, Executive Director, CERCLE
For 20 years this legislature has seen bills dealing with the requirement of credentials of early
childhood educators, yet nothing has been done to address the appalling low wages of early
childhood teachers, so many of whom are people of color. All we have succeeded in doing is
putting higher expectations on an undervalued work force. Putting compensation language
in legislation does not fix the problem. Do not put together yet another group that will place
unfunded requirements on this profession.
Reported by: Dallas Emerle Date: 3/19/2021
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Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 8-210
ED Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference: 8-210
APP Joint Favorable Substitute:
File No. 646:
File No. 774: 8-210
Public Act No. 21-171: 8-210