Connecticut, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.
State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.
Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.
Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining
Approximately 26 percent (87,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 32 percent (106,000) in 2017.1
Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High
Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.2
State General Fund Appropriations: Growing
In 2025, Connecticut’s governor signed the state’s budget covering fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The budget (per the fiscal note) provides total funds of $27.2 billion in fiscal 2026, an increase of $1.2 billion, or 4.6 percent, over fiscal 2025, and total funds of $28.6 billion in fiscal 2027, an increase of $1.4 billion, or 5.3 percent, over fiscal 2026. General fund appropriations are $24.03 billion in fiscal 2026 (an increase of $1.2 billion, or 5.4 percent, over fiscal 2025) and $25.4 billion in fiscal 2027 (an increase of $1.3 billion, or 5.5 percent, over fiscal 2026). The Consensus Revenue estimate for the general fund is $23.8 billion in fiscal 2026, an increase of 0.3 percent over fiscal 2025, and $24.4 billion in fiscal 2027, an increase of 2.8 percent over the prior year.3
Top Revenue Sources (after federal transfers):4
State Budget Rules:4
Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood:5 Yes
Connecticut has a unique set of fiscal constraints created in 2017 that result in yearly unappropriated surplus revenue. In the 2025 session, an Early Care and Education Endowment was created that receives all of the unappropriated surplus at the end of each year, which averages $450 million annually. The fund was seeded with a $300 million investment and is managed by a private board, which uses the funds to expand child care and pre-k.
Since 2014, Connecticut has also been expanding pre-k with funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Smart Start grants fund preschool classrooms in public school buildings and are budgeted at $10 million per year through 2025.
Political Alignment: Aligned Democrat
During the legislative session, the state’s Senate and House were both Democrat controlled. The state’s Governor was also a Democrat.6
Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:7 One
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:8
Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:9
Connecticut’s most notable early childhood policy win in 2025 was the creation of an Early Childhood Endowment, seeded with $300 million and receiving all unappropriated surplus each year going forward. This endowment is a non-lapsing fund that will grow with annual deposits and market returns. The endowment will be invested by the State Treasurer and managed by an independent board for the purpose of strengthening and growing Connecticut’s Early Start program. This permanent new fund will increase provider payment rates to raise wages for early educators to parity with their public school counterparts, lower tuition to no more than 7 percent of household income, eliminate tuition for families with an income below $100,000, and expand the system to serve more children. The current Early Start System serves roughly 18,000 children (15,167 preschoolers and 2,946 infants/Toddlers) and is expected to add roughly 16,000 new children over the next 7 years. At least 35% of these new slots must be for infants/toddlers.
Advocates worked with policymakers for an increase in funding for local early childhood planning, monitoring, and quality improvement. Because Connecticut does not have county governments, 83 of the 169 towns in the state have local early childhood councils that coordinate, monitor, and support quality improvement at the subsidized programs in their jurisdiction. With the planned expansion of the Early Start program, funded by the Early Care and Education Endowment, these local bodies will now take on a community planning responsibility to inform the allocation of new slots.
Advocates also won a bond authorization to support the construction and renovation of child care facilities. This continues a project that started with federal ARPA funds, and will provide grants for the construction or renovation of child care facilities.
Connecticut in 2025 changed TANF eligibility rules to exclude certain types of income. These changes started as a standalone bill, but ended up in Section 342 of the budget. It will prevent TANF recipients from losing their benefits if they participate in a universal basic income pilot (funded by private philanthropy) or if a household member participates in a job training program that provides a stipend.
In 2025, Connecticut increased the Earned Income Tax Credit by $250 for families with children.
In 2025, advocates also pivoted to defense when the federal administration began to pressure the state to cut its Medicaid coverage for undocumented children. Through the advocacy of a group of young “dreamers” at the core of Husky For Immigrants, Connecticut provides Medicaid coverage (called Husky) to undocumented children under 12 years old with state funds. Advocates led by Husky for Immigrants won enough support to maintain the program and its funding.
Our lead ally in Connecticut is Advancing Connecticut Together. ACT is an umbrella agency that includes several organizations that address the root causes of poverty, addiction, and health inequities through strength-based services and advocacy to ensure all people in Connecticut have equitable resources necessary to achieve multi-generational health, wealth, and happiness. ACT’s work on early childhood issues is through the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance.
ACT is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas:
Child Care
Child Care Workforce
Preschool and Pre-K
Family Economic Security
Click here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.
Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment, seeded with an initial $300 million investment, marks the culmination of years of work by early education advocates fighting for sustainable, long-term funding.
NOTES:
1 Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.
2 National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 through 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, October 2024, NCCP analysis of ACS 5-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2018-2022.
3 National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2026.
4 Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, April 2025.
5 Alliance for Early Success, State Examples of Dedicated Funding Streams, 2025
6 National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, January 31, 2025.
7 Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, 2025.
8 Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.
9 Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2025.
