[Excerpt from article by Julie Martin Banks, April 9, 2025]
Thanks to additional funding to expand services and provide subsidies to those in need, there has been a 6% rise in available child care services over the past year, according to data released Tuesday by United Way of Connecticut’s 211 Child Care.
Officials praised the efforts of Gov. Ned Lamont for investments made in early childhood, according to Beth Bye, commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood.
“By increasing provider rates and expanding access for Early Start CT and Care 4 Kids, we are making measurable strides toward ensuring affordable, high-quality child care is within reach for more Connecticut families,” Bye said in a prepared release.
Staff from United Way of Connecticut/211 Child CareData collected data through surveys of child care providers and through information provided by the Office of Early Childhood, while DataHaven, a New Haven-based nonprofit, consulted.
The group unveiled its 2025 interactive map where people can see a point-in-time snapshot of capacity, enrollments, and openings available at any given moment throughout the state. Users can search the 211 Child Care website for child care providers.
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There is proposed legislation, SB 1, through which lawmakers want to create a Universal Preschool Trust, where money left over in the General Fund would be put at the end of each fiscal year, to help qualifying families pay for preschool.
