State officials met in New London, where they say southeastern Connecticut is considered a child care desert. This means there is more demand for childcare than available places.
Advocates say they hope the new $300 million early childhood endowment will ease some of that burden, but there is still a long way to go.
Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood said more than 210 early childhood spaces and 13 Smart Start classrooms have been funded since July through the endowment, specifically in Southeastern Connecticut.
We spoke with childcare provider Reona Dias, executive director of the Drop-in Learning Center of New London. She said she has just applied to receive money from the endowment.
“This will allow us to go back to providing preschool programs, so that will be a big change. But at the same time, being able to pay our employees what they’re worth, that’s really important,” Dias said.
Dias is also the Democratic Town Chair. He said 95% of his students struggle to meet basic needs.
“We have kids from Groton, Norwich, and those families still fall into this category. So, it’s significant and it impacts all of Southeastern Connecticut,” Dias said.
Statewide, the $300 million endowment is a product of this past legislative session, with the goal of creating 1,000 more early childhood spaces by January 2026. There is also an 8% rate increase for teachers.
People who make less than $100,000 a year would get free child care, and expenses for other families would be capped on a sliding scale. New London Mayor Passero (D) said it’s something the community needs.
“They work multiple jobs, trying to scrape together enough money to get by for the week. Life is hard. Twenty percent of families live in poverty,” Passero said.
This year, the Office of Early Childhood said $35 million of the $300 million endowment is being spent. $19 million is going toward expanding locations for this year and $10 million is going toward rate increases.
During the legislative session, as NBC Connecticut reported, Republicans agreed that the state needs more childcare slots, but some objected to the way the expansion was funded and criticized Democrats for spending the money now rather than letting it grow further.
The state said providers’ applications for funding are to be approved Dec. 17, and it says they will prioritize childcare deserts like Southeastern Connecticut.
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