Community Corner

Governor: City Gets 8 New School Readiness Spaces — Bringing Total to 262

As part of sweeping education reforms, Malloy and the legislature have put a premium on high-quality early learning for preschoolers in Connecticut.

Middletown is among 38 municipalities across the state to be awarded 1,000 new school readiness slots to providers as a part of the the Gov. Dannel P. Malloy championed earlier this year.  

The city has been granted eight slots, according to the governor's office; which brings Middletown's total to 262, according to Jim Polites, director of communications and community partnerships for the Connecticut Department of Education.

“We’re pleased this process was completed so quickly, allowing school districts benefitting from the added preschool slots the time necessary to prepare for the upcoming school year. The increased slots will allow more children, particularly children living in high-need areas, the opportunity to have a high-quality early learning experience," said Maggie Adair, executive director, CT Early Childhood Alliance.

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"We are fortunate that Gov. Malloy and the legislature acknowledge that investing in the earliest years of a child’s life will help close Connecticut’s achievement gap,” Adair said.

Public Act 12-116, , targets $6.775 million in new funding for increased access to high-quality early childhood education.  The slots will be administered through the Connecticut School Readiness program, a state Department of Education initiative designed to provide for, and increase access to, high-quality preschool for children ages three and four.  

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“Early education provides the foundation for the future success of our children, and the assignment of the 1,000 new school readiness slots marks yet another important step toward improving the overall quality of education throughout the State of Connecticut,” said Malloy. 

“By focusing the new slots in high-needs areas, we are affirming our commitment to turning around struggling school districts. It won’t happen overnight, but the steps we are taking today will make sure that we close the nation’s largest achievement gap.”  

“New slots for early childhood education are the best investment we can make in our effort to turn around struggling schools districts,” said Lt. Governor Wyman. 

“By getting more of our young people the opportunity to have the best start possible, we can make sure that the changes we’re putting in place will have a lasting impact.”  

“High-quality preschool programs can contribute significantly to a child’s healthy development,” said State Department of Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor.  “In order to prevent performance gaps and increase academic success, it’s important for us to invest in high-quality early childhood education. 

"That’s why we will work to implement this program effectively this year and to expand the availability of early childhood opportunities in the coming years.”  

As called for in the new education reform law, a substantial majority (750 of the 1,000 new school readiness slots) will be apportioned within 19 existing priority school readiness districts. Five hundred of these 750 slots will be created in Connecticut’s ten reform school districts, a subset of the lowest-performing school districts in Connecticut. 

The remaining 250 new slots were allotted among competitive school readiness communities, defined as districts with two or more priority schools.  

Earlier this spring, school readiness councils distributed a local request for proposals to school readiness providers and other interested programs announcing the competition for additional spaces. 

Allocations were prioritized according to a community’s capacity to add slots for the coming school year in facilities that hold, or will soon attain, either National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation or approval as a federally-designated Head Start facility.  

Public Act 12-116 also funds an additional $3 million for school readiness quality initiatives, professional development for existing early childhood providers, and development of a quality rating and improvement system.  

Malloy has been committed to early childhood education since the introduction of his first budget. He has leveraged state funds to bring in over $4 million in philanthropic donations and signed into law legislation that resulted in the establishment of an Early Childhood Office within the Office of Policy and Management.  


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