Policy Resource

Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants and Toddlers at Risk (Connecticut)

Feb 9, 2016

This joint report by ZERO TO THREE and CLASP draws on newly conducted research on state efforts to expand and enhance access to Early Head Start (EHS) services for infants, toddlers, and their families.

The federal EHS program was created to help minimize the disparities caused by poverty by supporting the healthy development of expectant mothers and low-income infants and toddlers in the context of their families and communities. However, less than 4 percent of babies and toddlers who are eligible for Early Head Start are currently being served. This report describes the diverse strategies states are using to build upon Early Head Start and offers recommendations for states interested in expanding this proven program. It builds on a previous paper, Building on the Promise: State Initiatives to Expand Access to Early Head Start for Young Children and their Families, released by the two organizations in 2008.

In 2014 Connecticut received new funding for EHS expansion and EHS-CC Partnerships. The projected number of children to be served with this funding was 272.

In 2014 Connecticut had the following slots funded:

Federally-Funded Early Head Start slots totaled 660
Early Head Start Home Visiting Office of Head Start-Funded slots totaled 344

For further information see the following pages in Expanding Access to Early Head Start:

Page 10: Table. Funding Mechanisms for State EHS Initiatives
Page 15: APPENDIX. Initiatives that extend the day or year if existing services

(Learn more about Connecticut EHS updates here.)[https://www.nhsa.org/files/resources/2017-fact-sheet_connecticut.pdf]

Updated January 2016

Explore more from Quality Improvement

Article

Mississippi Building Blocks Program

As of 2016, Mississippi Building Blocks worked with 29 centers across the state, and over 500 early childhood programs in 31 counties have benefitted from free equipment, a research-based curriculum,…
Article

Virginia Deepens Work on Maternal Depression Through Home Visiting

Virginia's success in addressing maternal depression is due in large part to the commitment of state leaders to address the systems and infrastructure issues (e.g., reimbursement for screening, provi…
Article

Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants and Toddlers at Risk (South Carolina)

This joint report by ZERO TO THREE and CLASP draws on newly conducted research on state efforts to expand and enhance access to Early Head Start services for infants, toddlers, and their families.

Explore More Connecticut Focused Resources & Initiatives

Article

Connecticut Puts Developmental Needs First With Help Me Grow (HMG)

In the 1990s, Connecticut applied a developmental approach to how it connected at-risk children with the services they needed.
Article

Connecticut Office of Early Childhood

In June 2013, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy established the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) by executive order to help close the achievement gap and prepare children for the future.
Article

Connecticut Links Services through Early Childhood Consultation Partnership (ECCP®)

The ECCP® program is a statewide, comprehensive, data-driven early childhood mental health consultation program.
Article

Connecticut Is First State to Mandate Paid Sick Leave

In June 2011, Connecticut became the first state to pass paid sick leave legislation
Article

Connecticut’s Use of a Results Based Accountability Framework to Improve Child and Family Outcomes

Connecticut state agencies have embraced Results Based Accountability to assess and make improvements to citizens’ quality of life.
Article

Connecticut Approves Policy Changes to Better Serve Families with Young Children Experiencing Homelessness

The budget-neutral policy changes were put forth by a subcommittee made up of representatives from a variety of state agencies and provider organizations.