The Connecticut Association for the Education of Young Children advocates policies that enhance the quality of life for ALL children and families

2008-2009 Legislative Agenda

Connecticut Association for the Education of Young Children

 Early Care and Education

CAEYC will:

• Vigorously defending core early care and education programs – and critical child health safety supports – from state budget cuts, so as to protect the gains that have been made for children over the past two years.  This includes, but is not limited to:
  

• State funded child care centers
• School readiness programs
• State funded head start
• Care 4 Kids
• Family resource centers
• Child support services
• Child health and safety programs
  

• Seek modest increases in financial support to stabilize infant/toddler programs.
• Support and promote developmentally appropriate practices that promote high quality care and education of young children by age, individuality, and cultural diversity as defined by the National Association of the Education of Young Children guidelines.
• Support legislative policies and funding that provide for efficient, effective, and appropriate practices for high quality early childhood care and education.

Professional Growth

CAEYC will:

• Support an achievable early childhood workforce plan for all teachers in publicly funded centers that leads toward acquisition of degrees, credentials and competencies;
• Advocate for compensation commensurate with professional training and degrees;
• Advocate for streamlined and coordinated Higher Education workforce development pathways, clear articulation agreements and equal access to scholarships.

Educational and Developmental Resources and Services

CAEYC supports:

• Increased funding for services that would improve and expand high quality early care and education;
• Improved standards and regulations promoting high quality early care and education and NAEYC Accreditation;
• Additional regulators trained in early childhood to monitor environments;
• Screening and identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities and provision of appropriate intervention services;
• Implementation of developmentally appropriate assessment;
• Appropriate curricula, teaching techniques, and materials for all children from birth through the primary grades; and

• Efforts to create a modern coordinated early care and education system including:
• Uniform intake and reporting requirements;
• Rate parity, and
• Uniform funding systems.
• Advocate for increased scholarship dollars, with equal access for all early care and education providers.

Families

CAEYC supports:

• Expansion of Care 4 Kids funding to include eligibility for coverage for parents who are in college;
• Expansion of  Care 4 Kids program coverage for unemployed participants by linking to unemployment compensation limits;
• Policies and programs that strengthen families and result in improved health and self sufficiency;
• Parental choice in early care and early education options, and
• Support delay of QRIS implementation until program incentives are fully funded.