April 25, 2014

GOV. MALLOY APPLAUDS SENATE FOR INVESTING IN CONNECTICUT CHILDREN

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released the following statement following Senate passage of S.B. 25 , An Act Establishing the Office of Early Childhood :

"Transforming how our state supports our young children and their families is the single most important investment we can make to help close the achievement gap and prepare children for a future of lifelong success," said Governor Malloy. "In the last few years, Connecticut has made significant strides in educating our youngest children with the creation of an additional 1,000 early childhood opportunities, the development and validation of Early Learning and Development Standards, improving our child care licensing system, and investing in professional development and support to increase quality among our providers. Statutorily creating the Office of Early Childhood and moving our state towards universal access to pre-kindergarten will allow us to continue forward with this critical work to ensure that all children have an opportunity to succeed, no matter how much money their parents make or where they live.

"I applaud the Senators who voted for this bill today and I want to thank Senators Williams and Senator Looney for their commitment to ensuring that Connecticut's children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and succeed."

Passage of S.B. 25 would codify into statute the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) which Governor Malloy established by Executive Order No. 35 last year to enable the aligning of the state's many early childhood programs to better serve families. The bill includes an expansion of high-quality early care and education opportunities in communities throughout the state with the highest concentrations of poverty. The bill also provides the Office of Early Childhood with the flexibility to identify communities outside of the state's poorest towns and cities where there is an unmet need of high-quality early care and education opportunities and allocate spaces to these communities.

The legislation, approved today in the Senate by a vote of 33-2, next moves to the House for consideration.

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For Immediate Release: April 25, 2014

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy