TAKE ACTION
Testify on HB 5003 - Early Care and Education Fund
The deadline to register to give spoken testimony in support of HB 5003 is TODAY (3/3/25) at 3 PM! Register to speak at the Children’s Committee Hearing on March 4, 2025 and/or submit written testimony by clicking here.
HB 5003, An Act Concerning the Early Childhood Care & Education Fund, is a critical step in making child care more affordable, accessible, and sustainable in Connecticut. This bill:
- Expands funding for early childhood education
- Increases Care 4 Kids eligibility to help more families afford child care
- Establishes health care subsidies for early educators
- Provides stable funding for child care providers
- Invests in child care infrastructure
Need help preparing? The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance has put together fantastic resources, including a Testimony Prep Kit.
Child Tax Credit - Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who submitted testimony for last week’s Finance Committee Hearing! The 2 CTC bills had support from 118 written testimonies and 38 in-person speakers. The CTC press conference, led by Representative Felipe, Representative Farrar, Speaker Ritter and Senator Looney, gained wide coverage with 10+ news stories.
- Take 2 minutes to watch what Speaker Ritter said during the press conference, “It’s government investing in you. Its not a handout, but it gives a little help as you raise your families.”
- Check out the Telemundo story featuring a Stamford parent
Let’s keep the momentum going! Contact your legislator today highlighting your personal story. It takes only a few minutes to customize your message using our online form.
UPDATES FROM HARTFORD
All hearings can be viewed on CT-N or each Committee’s YouTube channel. Full CT CGA calendar is available online here.
Early Childcare Education (ECE)
UWCWC is committed to ensuring access to affordable, high-quality early care and education, including identifying funding for the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund. We are closely monitoring the Governor’s Universal Preschool Endowment (HB 6867) and three advancing bills with major early care and education investments.
- HB 5003 - An Act Concerning the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund
- SB 6 - An Act Concerning Resources and Supports for Infants, Toddlers and Disconnected Youths
- SB 1369 - An Act Concerning Child Care Support for Connecticut's Workforce
SB 6 and HB 5003 will be heard at this Tuesday’s Children’s Committee (see more details below)
Tuesday, March 4th
- Early Childcare and Education Fund Press Conference 11 am, Room 2E, Legislative Office Building
- Childrens’ Committee Public Hearing, 1 pm: Agenda and YouTube Channel Live Broadcast and Recordings
- Housing Committee Public Hearing 1:30 pm: Agenda and YouTube Channel Live Broadcast and Recordings
Thursday, March 6th
- Energy and Technology Committee Public Hearing 10:30 am: Agenda and YouTube Channel Live Broadcast and Recordings
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join Danbury Collective’s Civic Engagement Series “How Does CT Fund Special Education?” March 11th 6-7 pm on Zoom
The School + State Finance Project will present:
- The history of special education funding
- Revenue sources for special education
- Opportunities to engage on the topic during this legislative session and beyond
RESOURCES
Just Cause Eviction
In Connecticut, landlords can evict tenants without a real reason or “just cause”. Every year an estimated 10% or 2,000 evictions are without cause. Interested in learning more about Just Cause Eviction protections? Read the CT Tenants Union article and Partnership for Strong Communities’ brief.
Rental Assistance
Access to safe, stable housing is a basic need that has become increasingly challenging for many of our neighbors. Statewide rents have increased dramatically over the past 4 years, while rental assistance programs are lagging. To learn more about strategies for affordable housing solutions, read the Partnership for Strong Communities’ Rental Assistance Program brief. Interested in housing issues, but not sure how to talk about them, dig deeper into the Housing Collective’s narrative playbook.
Fiscal Guardrails
Fiscal guardrails? Fiscal controls? Fiscal rules? As the policy makers debate the state budget for the next two years, you may have heard of financial mechanisms that limit critical community investments. What are these mechanisms and why do they matter? For a quick take, check out the CT Project blog and CT Mirror’s “CT’s spending cap battle was years in the making”. Looking for in-depth analyses and recommendations? Read Yale Tobin Center’s “Connecticut’s Fiscal Guardrails: A Data-Driven Analysis” or CT Voices’ “Connecticut’s Fiscal Controls – Options for Responsible Adjustments.”
Have questions? Visit www.unitedwaycwc.org/advocate or contact Tida Infahsaeng at tida.infahsaeng@unitedwaycwc.org.