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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1369
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 4915
Referred to Committee on COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN
Introduced by:
(KID)
AN ACT CONCERNING CHILD CARE SUPPORT FOR
CONNECTICUT'S WORKFORCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) There is established the 1
Workforce Child Care Program to assist working families with the cost 2
of child care and to provide financial assistance to early care and 3
education program providers to support operational and workforce 4
needs. The program shall be administered by the Workforce Child Care 5
Board, established pursuant to section 2 of this act, and the board shall 6
authorize the expenditure of funds from the Workforce Child Care 7
Fund, established pursuant to section 3 of this act in accordance with the 8
provisions of this section. 9
(b) Eligibility for participation in the program shall be limited to the 10
following: 11
(1) Any family (A) with a child or children under thirteen years of 12
age, (B) with an individual who is employed and has been employed for 13
(i) at least twenty-six consecutive weeks if such individual regularly 14
works twenty or more hours per week, or (ii) at least one hundred 15
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seventy-five days if such individual works fewer than twenty hours per 16
week, and (C) that is not currently receiving a subsidy or other financial 17
assistance from or enrolled in (i) a Head Start or Early Head Start 18
program, (ii) the child care subsidy program, established pursuant to 19
section 17b-749 of the general statutes, (iii) an early care and education 20
program receiving financial assistance under Early Start CT pursuant to 21
section 10-550b of the general statutes, (iv) a preschool program under 22
the Connecticut Smart Start competitive grant program, pursuant to 23
section 10-506 of the general statutes, (v) the temporary family 24
assistance program pursuant to section 17b-112 of the general statutes, 25
(vi) foster care placements or certified relative foster care placements 26
through the Department of Children and Families, or (vii) any other 27
state or federal program from which the family is receiving a subsidy or 28
financial assistance for child care; and 29
(2) Any licensed provider of an early care and education program in 30
the state that is providing child care services, as described in section 19a-31
77 of the general statutes. 32
(c) As part of the program, the cost of child care charged by a 33
participating early care and education program provider to an eligible 34
family shall not exceed seven per cent of the annual household income 35
of such eligible family. 36
(d) The board shall authorize payments from the Workforce Child 37
Care Fund established pursuant to section 3 of this act as follows: 38
(1) For grants to participating early care and education program 39
providers, in accordance with sliding scale subsidy guidelines 40
developed by the board, in order to implement the provisions of 41
subsection (c) of this section. 42
(2) To implement the early childhood care and education salary 43
enhancement grant program in accordance with the provisions of 44
sections 6 and 7 of this act. 45
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(3) For grants to employees of early care and education programs for 46
(A) professional development, (B) scholarships for associate and 47
bachelor's degrees, certifications and advanced training, and (C) 48
retention incentives, including, but not limited to, performance-based 49
bonuses and retention grants. 50
(4) For capital improvements, including renovations, structural 51
upgrades and purchasing equipment and materials, in order for child 52
care facilities to meet health and safety standards, expand capacity and 53
enhance educational resources. 54
(5) To develop and maintain the Workforce Child Care Program 55
enrollment portal, as described in section 5 of this act. 56
(e) On and after July 1, 2026, the Workforce Child Care Board may 57
expand the program to authorize payments from the Workforce Child 58
Care Fund for enrollment in before-school and after-school programs, 59
summer camps and youth camps and for emergency access to parents 60
and guardians who are not employed for one-quarter of coverage, 61
provided the fund will maintain solvency in the subsequent fiscal year 62
following such program expansion. 63
(f) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 64
Workforce Child Care Board shall prepare a report on the 65
implementation of the program. Such report shall include, but need not 66
be limited to, (1) the number of eligible families and participating 67
providers in the program, an analysis of how the program has impacted 68
the child care workforce and child care accessibility and if the program 69
has had an effect on economic growth in the state, and (2) any 70
recommendations for improvements or enhancements to the program. 71
The board shall submit such report to the joint standing committee of 72
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children 73
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 74
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) (1) There is established the 75
Workforce Child Care Board. The board shall administer the Workforce 76
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Child Care Program, established pursuant to section 1 of this act, and 77
review and report on the financial health and status of the Workforce 78
Child Care Fund, established pursuant to section 3 of this act. 79
(2) The board shall consist of the following members: 80
(A) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 81
(i) one of whom shall be a parent, and (ii) one of whom shall be currently 82
employed in the early childhood workforce; 83
(B) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, (i) one 84
of whom shall be a representative from the Service Employees' 85
International Union, Local 2001, and (ii) one of whom shall be a member 86
of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance; 87
(C) Two appointed by the majority leader of the House of 88
Representatives, (i) one of whom shall be a representative of an early 89
childhood education program operator in the state, and (ii) one of whom 90
shall be a representative of a family resource center described under 91
section 10-4o of the general statutes; 92
(D) Two appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, (i) one of 93
whom shall be a representative of a philanthropic organization that is 94
(I) engaged in early childhood education issues or child care issues in 95
the state, and (II) a member of the Early Childhood Funder 96
Collaborative, and (ii) one of whom shall be a representative of a 97
business organization that is (I) engaged in early childhood education 98
issues or child care issues in the state, and (II) a member of the 99
Connecticut Business Industry Association; 100
(E) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of 101
Representatives, (i) one of whom shall be a representative of a non-102
home-based child care services provider in the state, and (ii) one of 103
whom shall be a parent; 104
(F) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, (i) one of 105
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whom shall be a representative of a corporation with a significant 106
physical presence in the state and that employs individuals who may 107
benefit from early childhood education and state child care initiatives, 108
and (ii) one of whom shall be a member of the parent cabinet established 109
by the Office of Early Childhood pursuant to section 10-500 of the 110
general statutes; 111
(G) The Commissioner of Early Childhood, or the commissioner's 112
designee; 113
(H) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the 114
secretary's designee; 115
(I) The Treasurer, or the Treasurer's designee; and 116
(J) The Comptroller, or the Comptroller's designee. 117
(3) Each appointed member shall serve in accordance with the 118
provisions of section 4-1a of the general statutes and the appointing 119
authorities shall appoint members to ensure representation on the board 120
of all geographic areas in the state, to the extent practicable. 121
(4) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall schedule the first 122
meeting of the board, which shall be held not later than October 1, 2025. 123
The members shall elect the chairperson at the first meeting. The board 124
shall meet as often as deemed necessary by the chairperson or a majority 125
of the board. Any appointed member who fails to attend three 126
consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings 127
held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from 128
the board. 129
(5) Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. Any 130
vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled for the 131
balance of the unexpired term. 132
(6) A majority of the board shall constitute a quorum for the 133
transaction of any business. 134
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(b) The board shall have the following powers and duties: 135
(1) Review and monitor the Workforce Child Care Fund to assess its 136
financial sustainability; 137
(2) Obtain from any executive department, board or other agency of 138
the state such assistance and data as necessary and available to carry out 139
the purposes of this section; and 140
(3) Perform such other acts as may be necessary and appropriate to 141
carry out the duties described in this section. 142
(c) The board shall: 143
(1) Not later than January 1, 2026, submit a five-year plan, in 144
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 145
to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 146
cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state 147
agencies, finance, revenue and bonding, education and children of 148
recommendations of expenditures from said fund that would best 149
support working families in reducing the cost and access to child care 150
in the state. The board shall, in developing such plan, consider reports 151
on the state of early childhood care and education in the state, as well as 152
best practices in other states. The board shall update such plan at least 153
annually and submit such updated plan annually to said committees; 154
(2) Commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, hold an 155
annual public hearing on the state of the fund and of the cost of early 156
childhood education and child care in the state; and 157
(3) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, submit a 158
report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general 159
statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 160
having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets 161
of state agencies, finance, revenue and bonding, education and children 162
on the financial health and status of the Workforce Child Care Fund, 163
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including, but not limited to, (A) the amounts on deposit in said fund, 164
(B) disbursements made or expected to be made from said fund for the 165
applicable fiscal year, (C) the rates of return on investments made by the 166
Treasurer pursuant to subsection (c) of section 3 of this act, (D) a 167
statement as to the sufficiency of the amounts on deposit in said fund to 168
achieve the purposes of said fund, and (E) any recommendations for 169
policy changes and amendments to the general statutes necessary to 170
further the purposes of said fund; 171
(d) The Workforce Child Care Board shall be within the Office of 172
Early Childhood for administrative purposes only. 173
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) There is established the 174
Workforce Child Care Fund. Said fund may contain any moneys 175
required or permitted by law to be deposited in the fund and shall 176
receive and hold all payments and deposits for contributions intended 177
for said fund, as well as gifts, bequests, endowments or federal, state or 178
local grants and any other funds from any public or private source and 179
all earnings until disbursed in accordance with the provisions of this 180
section. 181
(b) The amounts on deposit in said fund shall not constitute property 182
of the state and said fund shall not be construed to be a department, 183
institution or agency of the state. Amounts on deposit in said fund shall 184
not be commingled with state funds and the state shall have no claim to 185
or against, or any interest in, such deposits. Any contract entered into 186
by or any obligation of said fund shall not constitute a debt or obligation 187
of the state and the state shall have no obligation to any person on 188
account of said fund and all amounts obligated to be paid from said 189
fund shall be limited to amounts available for such obligation on deposit 190
in said fund. Said fund shall continue in existence as long as it holds any 191
deposits or has any obligations and until its existence is terminated by 192
law. 193
(c) The Treasurer shall invest the amounts on deposit in said fund in 194
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a manner reasonable and appropriate to achieve the objectives of said 195
fund, exercising the discretion and care of a prudent person in similar 196
circumstances with similar objectives. The Treasurer shall give due 197
consideration to rate of return, risk, term or maturity, diversification of 198
the total portfolio within said fund, liquidity, the projected 199
disbursements and expenditures and the expected payments, deposits, 200
contributions and gifts to be received. The Treasurer shall not require 201
said fund to invest directly in obligations of the state or any political 202
subdivision of the state or in any investment or other fund administered 203
by the Treasurer. The assets of said fund shall be continuously invested 204
and reinvested in a manner consistent with the objectives of said fund 205
until disbursed by the Comptroller in accordance with the provisions of 206
this section. 207
(d) The Treasurer, on behalf of said fund and for purposes of said 208
fund, may: 209
(1) Receive and invest moneys in said fund in any instruments, 210
obligations, securities or property in accordance with this section; 211
(2) Enter into one or more contractual agreements, including 212
contracts for legal, actuarial, accounting, custodial, advisory, 213
management, administrative, advertising, marketing and consulting 214
services for said fund and pay for such services from the assets of said 215
fund; 216
(3) Procure insurance in connection with said fund's property, assets, 217
activities or deposits to said fund; 218
(4) Apply for and accept gifts, grants or donations from public or 219
private sources to enable said fund to carry out its objectives; 220
(5) Adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 of the general 221
statutes for purposes of this section; 222
(6) Sue and be sued; 223
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(7) Establish one or more accounts within said fund; and 224
(8) Take any other action necessary to carry out the purposes of this 225
section and incidental to the duties imposed on the Treasurer pursuant 226
to this section. 227
(e) The amounts on deposit in said fund shall be used for the 228
purposes of (1) implementing the Workforce Child Care Program, 229
established pursuant to section 1 of this act, (2) supporting the 230
establishment and maintenance of the enrollment portal, as described in 231
section 5 of this act, (3) implementing the early childhood care and 232
education salary enhancement grant program in accordance with the 233
provisions of sections 6 and 7 of this act, and (4) providing financial 234
assistance to early care and education program providers for other 235
operational and workforce needs. 236
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 237
(1) "Employer" means an employer required to deduct and withhold 238
tax from wages pursuant to section 12-705 of the general statutes. 239
"Employer" does not include any early care and education program 240
provider; and 241
(2) "Payroll expense" means (A) wages, as defined in Section 3121 of 242
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding 243
internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to 244
time, without regard to Section 3121(a)(1) of said code, and (B) 245
compensation, as defined in Section 3231 of said code, without regard 246
to Section 3231(e)(2)(A)(i) of said code, that are paid to all covered 247
employees. 248
(b) On and after January 1, 2026, each employer shall pay a tax on 249
such employer's payroll expense at the following rate: For the taxable 250
year commencing January 1, 2026, one and one-half per cent of such 251
employer's payroll expense during the year. 252
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(c) All amounts collected under this section shall be deposited in the 253
Workforce Child Care Fund, established pursuant to section 3 of this act. 254
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The Workforce Child Care 255
Board, in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood, shall develop 256
a centralized online enrollment portal for families to apply for (1) 257
participation in the Workforce Child Care Program, established 258
pursuant to section 1 of this act, and (2) a subsidy or other state or 259
federal financial assistance for child care under (A) a Head Start or Early 260
Head Start program, (B) the child care subsidy program, established 261
pursuant to section 17b-749 of the general statutes, (C) an early care and 262
education program receiving financial assistance under Early Start CT 263
pursuant to section 10-550b of the general statutes, (D) a preschool 264
program under the Connecticut Smart Start competitive grant program, 265
pursuant to section 10-506 of the general statutes, (E) temporary family 266
assistance program pursuant to section 17b-112 of the general statutes, 267
(F) foster care placements or certified relative foster care placements 268
through the Department of Children and Families, or (G) any other state 269
or federal program for child care assistance. 270
(b) For applicants seeking participation in the Workforce Child Care 271
Program, the enrollment portal shall (1) enable families seeking to 272
participate in the program to determine eligibility and apply for a 273
subsidy, (2) allow early care and education program providers to 274
participate in the program, (3) facilitate the connection of participating 275
providers and eligible families by providing opportunities for eligible 276
families to enroll in participating provider programs, (4) ensure secure 277
data management to protect applicant information and privacy and 278
system integrity, and (5) include provisions for special enrollment 279
periods for life events, including job loss, income changes and new 280
parenthood. 281
(c) Any child who is enrolled in an early care and education program 282
through the enrollment portal shall be assigned a state-assigned student 283
identifier. 284
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Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section and 285
section 7 of this act: 286
(1) "Compensation schedule" means the early childhood educator 287
compensation schedule developed by the Office of Early Childhood 288
pursuant to section 10-531 of the general statutes, as amended by this 289
act; 290
(2) "Early childhood care and education program" means a child care 291
services provider, early childhood education program or license-exempt 292
early childhood provider; 293
(3) "Child care services provider" means a child care center or a group 294
child care home, as such terms are described in section 19a-77 of the 295
general statutes; 296
(4) "Early childhood education program" means a private preschool 297
program or an early care and education program under Early Start CT, 298
pursuant to section 10-550b of the general statutes; 299
(5) "License-exempt early childhood provider" means any child care 300
services provider or an early care and education program under Early 301
Start CT that is not required to be licensed pursuant to subsection (b) of 302
section 19a-77 of the general statutes and is located in a public school 303
building but is not administered by a public school system; 304
(6) "Employee" means a person who is employed by an early 305
childhood care and education program and meets the eligibility criteria 306
described in the compensation schedule and policy developed by the 307
Office of Early Childhood pursuant to subsection (e) of this section; 308
(7) "Base salary" means the annual salary that an employee was paid 309
for a position on December 31, 2024, or, if the position was vacant on 310
December 31, 2024, the starting annual salary for such position on said 311
date; 312
(8) "Benefits amount" means seven thousand five hundred dollars; 313
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(9) "Individual employee salary enhancement amount" means, for 314
any fiscal year, the sum of (A) the difference between (i) the salary 315
prescribed in the compensation schedule for an employee, and (ii) the 316
amount of such employee's base salary, and (B) the benefits amount; 317
(10) "Salary enhancement amount" means the sum of the total 318
individual employee salary enhancement amounts for all employees of 319
an early childhood care and education program for the fiscal year; and 320
(11) "Family child care home" has the same meaning as provided in 321
section 19a-77 of the general statutes. 322
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year 323
thereafter, the Office of Early Childhood, in collaboration with the 324
Workforce Child Care Board established pursuant to section 2 of this 325
act, shall administer the early childhood care and education salary 326
enhancement grant program. The office shall annually pay to each early 327
childhood care and education program a salary enhancement grant in 328
the amount of such program's salary enhancement amount. Such 329
program shall distribute such grant funds to its employees in 330
accordance with the policy developed by the Commissioner of Early 331
Childhood pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. 332
(c) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year 333
thereafter, the office shall annually pay to each family child care home 334
a salary enhancement grant as follows: (1) Twenty thousand dollars for 335
each licensee of a family child care home, (2) six thousand dollars for 336
each full-time assistant or substitute staff member approved by the 337
Commissioner of Early Childhood pursuant to section 19a-87b of the 338
general statutes, and (3) three thousand dollars for each part-time 339
assistant or substitute staff member approved by the commissioner 340
pursuant to section 19a-87b of the general statutes, and employed by the 341
family child care home. The licensee shall distribute such grant funds in 342
accordance with the policy developed by the commissioner pursuant to 343
subsection (e) of this section. 344
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(d) Each early childhood care and education program shall register, 345
at such time and in such manner as prescribed by the commissioner, 346
with the Office of Early Childhood to receive a grant under the program. 347
Upon registration, such program shall provide any information 348
required by the office, in accordance with the policy developed by the 349
commissioner pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. 350
(e) Not later than October 1, 2025, the commissioner shall develop a 351
policy for the administration of the early childhood care and education 352
salary enhancement grant program. The policy shall include, but need 353
not be limited to, eligibility criteria for the program, the registration 354
process for the program, the distribution requirements of the grant and 355
any other requirements the commissioner deems necessary. 356
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) On and after July 1, 2025, each 357
employee of an early childhood care and education program shall be 358
paid an annual salary as prescribed in the compensation schedule 359
developed pursuant to section 10-531 of the general statutes, as 360
amended by this act, except if the amount of an employee's salary is 361
greater than the amount prescribed in such compensation schedule, 362
such employee shall be paid such greater amount. 363
Sec. 8. Section 10-531 of the general statutes is repealed and the 364
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 365
(a) As used in this section: 366
(1) "Early childhood education program" means any child care or 367
school readiness program that accepts state funds for infant, toddler and 368
preschool spaces associated with such program; 369
(2) "Employee" means any person who is employed by an early 370
childhood [education program and meets the applicable staff 371
qualifications requirement, as defined in section 10-16p] care and 372
education program and meets the eligibility criteria described in the 373
compensation schedule and policy developed by the Office of Early 374
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Childhood pursuant to subsection (e) of section 1 of this act; 375
(3) "Compensation" means the salary, wages, benefits and other 376
forms of valuable consideration earned by and provided to an employee 377
in remuneration for services rendered; [and] 378
(4) "Compensation schedule" means a list or lists specifying a series 379
of compensation steps and ranges; 380
(5) "Early childhood care and education program" means (A) a child 381
care center or a group child care home, as such terms are described in 382
section 19a-77, or (B) a private preschool program or an early care and 383
education program under Early Start CT, pursuant to section 10-550b. 384
(b) The Office of Early Childhood shall establish, after notice and 385
opportunity for public comment, a proposed early childhood educator 386
compensation schedule for employees of early childhood education 387
programs. 388
(c) (1) The office shall consider the following factors in developing the 389
proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule: (A) Level 390
of education, (B) training in early childhood education or child 391
development, (C) relevant employment experience, including the 392
number of years an individual has been employed in an early childhood 393
education program, (D) compensation levels for certified teachers 394
employed in a preschool program operated by a local or regional board 395
of education or regional educational service center, and (E) cost of living 396
in the state. 397
(2) In developing the proposed early childhood educator 398
compensation schedule, the office may (A) consider the findings and 399
recommendations provided in "A Plan to Assist Early Education State 400
Funded Providers to Degree Attainment and Increased Compensation" 401
created by the office, pursuant to section 4 of public act 15-134, to create 402
a standardized salary scale and incentive package for early childhood 403
educators, (B) utilize state and federal funding, and (C) examine existing 404
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programs that address early childhood educator compensation and staff 405
retention through financial incentives, such as bonuses for degree or 406
course completion. 407
(3) The office shall establish a recommended minimum salary for 408
employees as part of the proposed early childhood educator 409
compensation schedule. 410
(d) Not later than January 1, 2021, the office shall submit the proposed 411
early childhood educator compensation schedule and a report to the 412
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 413
of matters relating to education and appropriations and the budgets of 414
state agencies, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. Such 415
report shall include: (1) Any recommendations for legislation relating to 416
state-wide implementation of the proposed early childhood educator 417
compensation schedule, (2) an estimate of the cost of implementing the 418
proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule state-wide, 419
(3) an analysis of the effect of the state-wide implementation of the 420
proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule on the 421
number of available preschool seats, and (4) an explanation of how the 422
proposed early childhood educator compensation schedule will be 423
included in any quality rating and improvement system developed by 424
the office, pursuant to subdivision (15) of subsection (b) of section 10-425
500. 426
(e) Not later than January 1, 2026, the office shall amend the 427
compensation schedule to include employees of early childhood care 428
and education programs. 429
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 New section
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Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 6 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 7 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 8 July 1, 2025 10-531
Statement of Purpose:
To establish the Workforce Child Care Fund to assist working families
in the cost of child care and to cap the cost of child care at seven per cent
of a family's annual household income.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]