An Act Concerning Child Care Support For Connecticut's Workforce.
SB 1369 creates a new statewide Workforce Child Care Program and Portal intended to help working families afford child care and to support early care and education providers. The program would be administered by the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund Advisory Commission and would cap family child care costs at no more than 7% of annual household income for eligible participants. Eligibility is limited to working families with children under 13 who are not already receiving other specified child care subsidies or assistance, and to licensed early care and education providers, including before- and after-school programs, summer camps, and youth camps.
The bill also establishes a centralized online enrollment portal to let families apply for the new program and for other existing child care assistance programs, with features for eligibility screening, secure data management, provider participation, and special enrollment periods tied to life events such as job loss or new parenthood. In addition, the bill creates a payroll tax on employers with more than 200 employees in Connecticut, beginning in 2026, and directs the revenue into the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund to finance the program and related grants.
A major component of the bill is workforce support for child care staff. It requires annual salary enhancement grants for early childhood care and education programs and family child care homes, and it directs the Office of Early Childhood to develop and implement a compensation schedule for early childhood educators. The bill also authorizes funding for professional development, scholarships, retention incentives, and capital improvements to help providers meet health and safety standards and expand capacity.
The bill would amend Connecticut law governing early childhood compensation and the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund by expanding the scope of eligible programs and employees, creating new grant mechanisms, and requiring annual reporting on implementation, access, workforce effects, and economic impact. It also contemplates a possible expansion in 2027 to cover before- and after-school programs, summer camps, youth camps, and temporary emergency coverage for unemployed parents if the fund remains solvent.
The general sentiment reflected in the available voting history appears supportive but not unanimous: the bill received a 10-7 favorable substitute vote in the Children’s Committee. Because no transcript excerpts were provided, there is no detailed record of debate, but the split vote suggests broad interest in child care affordability and workforce support alongside some reservations about the bill’s financing, scope, or administrative structure.
The bill would add a new statutory framework for child care affordability and provider support, funded in part by a new 1.5% payroll tax on larger employers and by the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund. It would expand the responsibilities of the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund Advisory Commission and the Office of Early Childhood, create a statewide enrollment portal, impose a family cost cap for participating care, and require new grant and compensation systems for child care workers and providers. It would also amend existing law on early childhood educator compensation to include a broader category of early childhood care and education programs and employees.
The available record suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill’s goals of reducing child care costs, improving access, and strengthening the child care workforce. The 10-7 committee vote indicates support was meaningful but not unanimous, implying that while many members backed the proposal, a substantial minority had concerns. No transcript excerpts were provided, so the specific arguments for or against the bill are not documented here.
The most likely points of contention are the new payroll tax on employers with more than 200 employees, the use of fund revenues to subsidize child care costs and wage enhancements, and the bill’s administrative complexity. Opponents or skeptics may question the cost to businesses, the solvency trigger for future expansion, and whether the state can effectively manage a centralized portal and multiple grant programs. Supporters are likely focused on affordability for families, workforce retention for providers, and expanding child care capacity.