What would a childcare system that actually works look like? Connecticut is trying to answer that question with programs like paid leave, and now, a major investment in lowering costs for families.
Starting in July 2027, Connecticut will offer more affordable childcare through a state-funded early childhood program known as Early Start CT.
Families earning up to $100,000 per year with children in the program will be eligible for free childcare. Family contributions will be capped at 7% of annual income for those earning $100,000 or more.
Funding for the initiative comes from Connecticut's Early Childhood Education Endowment, which lawmakers established in 2025 to strengthen the early childhood education system.
Early Start CT, which also launched last year, provides funding to early childhood education programs around the state to help families pay for care. The program was set to add more than 1,000 spaces in 2025 and 2026.
State Rep. Kate Farrar, a West Hartford Democrat, discussed the initiative on Connecticut Public's "Where We Live." Farrar, who serves as deputy majority leader in the statehouse, said the effort builds on Connecticut's previous move to establish a comprehensive paid leave system.
"Paid leave was critical and essential to make sure that no one had to choose between their job and being able to care for their family," Farrar said. "But for so many of our families that are having children, once you had paid leave, then you had to think about, well, how do I really return to work if I can't find affordable and accessible childcare? And that's why addressing childcare in our state is so important."
Connecticut is one of 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., that have enacted mandatory paid family and medical leave programs that cover childbirth and parental bonding, said Erin Choquette, chief executive officer of the CT Paid Leave Authority.
Speaking on Where We Live, Choquette said the benefits of paid leave extend well beyond individual families.
"Allowing women time to physically recover obviously helps their mental health, but it also helps the babies in terms of fewer hospitalizations, lower risk of infection [and] more success with breastfeeding because you've got time and space," Choquette said.
Choquette said if the benefits of paid leave are felt across society, then the burden of making time to recover and bond with a new baby should be shared, as well.
"It benefits the fathers, lowering stress for them," she said of paid leave. "There's lower incidence of alcohol and substance use disorder. There's lower incidence of child abuse."
Connecticut provided initial funding of $300 million for the Early Childhood Education Endowment last year. The state deposited an additional $411 million this year using surplus dollars.
Farrar, one of the chairs of the endowment's advisory board, said the funding will allow Connecticut to expand spaces in Early Start CT and lower costs for families who participate.
"We want to ensure, just like paid leave, that there is a structure and funding in place that families can rely on," she said.
Parents can learn more through the Office of Early Childhood’s website or by calling 211. A new parent portal is expected to launch next year.
Members of the public can share their feedback on the endowment at a public hearing scheduled for 5 p.m. on Oct. 21, Farrar said.
