SB 6 — AN ACT CONCERNING RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR INFANTS, TODDLERS AND DISCONNECTED YOUTHS.

12 July 1, 2025 New section StatementKID ofJoint LegislativeFavorable Commissioners:Subst.

InAPP SectionsJoint 10Favorable andLCO 11,12 "that is under said office pursuant to section 17b- 751d of the12 general statutes" was inserted after "Help Me Grow program" for clarity, and in Section 12, "Sparkler" was deleted for consistency with standard drafting conventions.

KID Joint Favorable Subst.

sSB6 / File No.

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199 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Treasurer, Debt Serv.

GF - See Below See Below See Below Office of Early Childhood GF - Cost At least $2.2 At least $2 million million Education, Dept.

GF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

Municipalities Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Various Municipalities Cost See Below See Below Explanation Section 1 results in a potential cost in FY 26 and FY 27 to the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to the extent that the agency will need to hire new staff positions to administer the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which is currently administered by the State Department of Education (SDE).

Based on an analysis of expenditures in CORE CT, it is estimated that SDE manages $20 million annually in federal funding for program services.

Additionally, SDE currently has four positions, withsalary costsof$482,700associatedwiththisprogram.

Two ofthese 1 positions, with costs of $302,000, are funded via the General Fund and the other two ($180,700) are federally funded.

Beginning in FY 26, OEC will incur costs if SDE staff and resources 1It is unclear if these positions have responsibilities with SDE outside of administering the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

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199 are not transferred to OEC to administer and operate the program.

Section 4 requires SDE to develop guidance relating to the administration of kindergarten preparatory academies by July 1, 2026 (FY 27).

While SDE can complete the guidance with existing resources, the costs of implementing the guidance may be significant to SDE and local and regional boards of education.

The guidance produced by SDE will include whether students enrolled in a kindergarten preparatory academy may count as resident students in the ECS formula.

If SDE guidance determines that such students will be included in the ECS formula, the subsequent increase in a town's resident student count (for towns that offer a kindergarten academy) may lead to increased ECS costs for SDE and a corresponding revenue gain to local and regional boards of education.

Towns' projected FY 26 ECS grants under current law range from $115 to $12,294 per student.

The cost to SDE and revenue gain to boards of education associated with increased ECS resident students would occur as enrollment increases (as early as FY 27).

The extent of these impacts for atownwouldbe dependent onthenumber ofkindergarten academy students and the town's other ECS formula factors.

Towns with lower wealth and higher-need student populations would experience a larger revenue gain.

Other components of the guidance prescribed by the bill (e.g., the student-teacher ratio) may impact the cost to a local or regional Board of Education of providing a kindergarten academy.

It is estimated that running a PreK program, which would likely be comparable to a kindergarten academy, currently costs a board of education $3,000 to $22,000 per student.

Section 5 expands eligible uses of funding under the Smart Start capital grant, which is funded through General Obligation (GO) bond funds.

Future General Fund debt service costs may be incurred or incurred sooner due to the program’s expansion to the degree that it causes authorized GO bond funds to be expended or to be expended more quickly than they otherwise would have been.

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199 As of March 1, 2025, there is an unallocated bond balance of $45 million for the Smart Start capital grant.

The bill does not change GO bond authorizations.

To the extent school districts pursue and are awarded grants under the program expansion, there would be a potential increase in revenue to such districts.

Section 5 also results in a cost to OEC related to 1) increasing operating expense grants from $5,000 to $7,000 per child served by the grant, or 2) from $75,000 to $105,000 per preschool classroom for a period of five years.

The total cost is dependent on the number of grants issued.

Sections 6 and 7 require municipal youth camps to obtain a license from OEC and extends various licensure requirements including immunizations, medication administration inspections, and criminal background checks to the municipal youth camps.

This results in a cost to various municipalities beginning in FY 26 for the license fee and resources to meet the other licensure requirements.

Municipalities that do not have municipal youth camps will have no fiscal impact.

OEC would also incur total costs of at least $1.8 million in FY 26 and FY 27 to create a unit to license municipal youth camps.

These costs are driven primarily by new staffing, of which approximately $1.2 million is for salaries and $300,000 is for associated fringe benefits.

At least $300,000 is also needed for additional operational costs, including car rentals, fuel, and IT support.

The new full-time positions include at least:

1) one Social Services Program Manager ($116,635 base salary and $47,482 in associated fringe benefits), 2) two Child Care Licensing Supervisors ($103,295 base salary and $42,051 in associated fringe benefits), 3) two Environmental Sanitarian 1s ($72,552 base salary with $29,536 in associated fringe benefits), 4) two Processing Technicians ($63,748 base salary with 2License fees are $815 for for-profit camps and $315 for nonprofit camps.

These must be renewed annually.

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199 $25,952 in associated fringe benefits), and 5) one Secretary 2 ($63,748 base salary with $25,952 in associated fringe benefits).

The new part-time positions include at least:

1) two 24-week Environmental Sanitarian 1s, 2) 20 8-week Environmental Sanitarian 1s, and 3) two 8-week Processing Technicians.

Section 10 results in a cost in FY 26 and FY 27 to OEC of approximately $208,788tohireoneAssociateResearchAnalystto collect data and conduct a quarterly review to determine how many children referred to the Birth-to-Three were deemed ineligible, and the reasons for their ineligibility.

For reference, the average starting salary is $148,382 with associated fringe benefits of $60,406.

Section 12 results in a cost in FY 26 to OEC of at least $200,000 to hire a consultant to design, develop, and conduct a study of the Sparkler app metrics outlined in this section.

Sections 2-3, 8-9, and 11 make technical, clarifying, or conforming changes that do not result in a fiscal impact.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to any bonds issued and future grant awards.

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199 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 6 AN ACT CONCERNING RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR INFANTS, TODDLERS AND DISCONNECTED YOUTHS.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

SUMMARY §§ 1 & 2 — CACFP ADMINISTRATION OF CACFP Designates OEC, instead of SDE, the lead agency for administering and distributing CACFP funds § 3 — ANNUAL REPORT ON DISCONNECTED YOUTH Requires P20WIN to submit its annual report to the Connecticut Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and the Two- Generational Advisory Board;

requires the legislature to hold a hearing on each annual report;

requires P20WIN, when preparing its annual report, to incorporate data provided by specified state agencies and sets related requirements § 4 — KINDERGARTEN PREPARATORY ACADEMIES Requires SDE to develop guidance for local and regional boards of education on administering kindergarten preparatory academies § 5 — CONNECTICUT SMART START COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM Increases maximum grant amounts awarded under the Connecticut Smart Start Competitive Grant Program and allows grants to be used to establish or expand kindergarten preparatory academies §§ 6 & 7 — MUNICIPAL YOUTH CAMPS Subjects municipal youth camps to OEC licensure, which they are exempt from under current law § 8 — EARLY CHILDHOOD CABINET MEMBERSHIP Adds the Connecticut Library Consortium’s executive director to the membership of the Early Childhood Cabinet §§ 9-11 — BIRTH-TO-THREE AND HELP ME GROW PROGRAMS sSB6 / File No.

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199 Requires OEC to (1) update and expand the content of its one-page developmentalmilestonedocument,(2)conduct aquarterlyreview of children deemed ineligible for Birth-to-Three, and (3) provide certain supports to teen parents through the Help Me Grow program § 12 — SPARKLER MOBILE APPLICATION Requires OEC to develop a report on its use of the Sparkler mobile application and submit its report to the Committee on Children by January 1, 2026 SUMMARY This bill containsvariousprovisionsaffecting resourcesandsupports for infants, toddlers, and disconnected youth.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2025 §§ 1 & 2 — CACFP ADMINISTRATION OF CACFP Designates OEC, instead of SDE, the lead agency for administering and distributing CACFP funds The bill designates the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), instead of the State Department of Education (SDE), as the lead agency for administering and distributing federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) funds.

It correspondingly requires OEC, rather thanSDE, to encourage child care centers and group and family child care homes to participate in the program, including by (1) annually advertising the program to non- participating child care centers and group and family child care homes and(2)sharingrelevantdatabetweentheofficeandotherstateagencies.

The bill also makes related technical and conforming changes.

§ 3 — ANNUAL REPORT ON DISCONNECTED YOUTH Requires P20WIN to submit its annual report to the Connecticut Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and the Two-Generational Advisory Board;

requires the legislature to hold a hearing on each annual report;

requires P20WIN, when preparing its annual report, to incorporate data provided by specified state agencies and sets related requirements By law, the executive board of the Connecticut Preschool Through Twenty andWorkforce InformationNetwork (P20WIN)must submit an sSB6 / File No.

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199 annual report on disconnected youth (i.e.

certain youth ages 14 to 26 who are at-risk students and not enrolled in high school) to the Appropriations, Children, Education, Human Services, Judiciary, Labor and Public Employees, and Public Health committees.

The bill additionally requires the board to give the annual report to the Connecticut AdvisoryCommissiononIntergovernmentalRelationsand the Two-Generational Advisory Board.

Under the bill, the legislative committees listed above must hold a hearing on thereport between January 1 and February 1 inthe year after the report’s submission.

Additionally, the bill requires the executive board, when preparing itsJanuary1, 2027,report,toincludeaplanto incorporatedataprovided by OEC, the Department of Developmental Services, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, and the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) through an enterprise memorandum of understanding (MOU) (see Background ― Enterprise MOU).

Under the bill, this data may at least include the following:

(1) OEC child-level data on the Care 4 Kids program, Birth-to-Three Program, Early Start CT, Family Bridge Program, early childhood home visiting programs, and early care and education programs, and (2) OHS data from the all-payer claims database.

Background — Enterprise MOU By law, an “enterprise MOU” is a foundational, multiparty agreementthatsetsforthdetailsofhowdataissharedandtherespective legal rights and responsibilities of each party to the process, which may also be used for new agencies to sign on to the data-sharing process, without having to re-sign as agencies sign on (or off) the agreement.

§ 4 — KINDERGARTEN PREPARATORY ACADEMIES Requires SDE to develop guidance for local and regional boards of education on administering kindergarten preparatory academies The bill requires SDE, by January 1, 2026, to develop guidance for local and regional education boards on administering kindergarten sSB6 / File No.

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199 preparatory academies.

These programs enroll students who turn five years old on or after September 1 of the school year and are ineligible to enroll in school that year.

Under the bill, the guidance must include information on the following:

1.

the availability of meal and lunch grants or subsidies, including those offered through CACFP, for enrolled students;

2.

whether families of enrolled students are eligible for Care 4 Kids subsidies;

3.

whether OEC or State Board of Education regulations govern the administration of these academies, including regulations on student-to-teacher ratios, parental involvement and notification procedures, recess, classroom removal, special education identification, and curriculum requirements;

and 4.

whether these students qualify as “resident students” for purposes of education cost sharing (see Background ― Resident Students).

The bill requires SDE to post the guidance on its website and make it available to local and regional school boards, upon request.

Background ― Resident Students “Resident students” is generally the number of students in a town enrolled in its public schools at the town’s expense as of October 1 each year.

This definition additionally includes students who are enrolled in schools outside their hometown, such as magnet and vocational- agriculture schools and students in the Open Choice program.

The number of resident students is used as part of various education- related funding calculations, such as cost sharing grants and choice program grants.

For Open Choice students, they are counted as 50% in the town the student resides in and 50% in the town where they attend school.

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199 § 5 — CONNECTICUT SMART START COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM Increases maximum grant amounts awarded under the Connecticut Smart Start Competitive Grant Program and allows grants to be used to establish or expand kindergarten preparatory academies Under current law, the Connecticut Smart Start Competitive Grant Program provides grants for capital and operating expenses for local and regional boards of education to establish or expand preschool programs.

The bill also allows school boards to use the grants to establish or expand kindergarten preparatory academies and makes related conforming changes.

Additionally, the bill increases the program’s maximum grant amounts as follows:

1.

for capital grants, from $75,000 to $105,000 per classroom to renovate an existing public school to accommodate or expand a preschool program or kindergarten preparatory academy and 2.

for annual operating expenses grants, (a) from $5,000 to $7,000 per child served by the grant or (b) from $75,000 to $105,000 per preschool classroom for a period of five years, as long as the program continues to meet OEC standards.

Under existing law and the bill, to be eligible for a grant, an applicant board must demonstrate that they have a need to establish or expand a preschoolprogramor kindergartenpreparatoryacademy,submita plan for spending grant funds, and submit a letter of support from the local or regional school readiness council, if applicable.

§§ 6 & 7 — MUNICIPAL YOUTH CAMPS Subjects municipal youth camps to OEC licensure, which they are exempt from under current law The bill subjects municipal youth camps (those serving children ages to 16) to state oversight by requiring them to obtain a license from OEC.

Currently, municipal day camps are exempt from state licensure.

In doing so, the bill extends to municipal youth camps existing sSB6 / File No.

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199 licensure requirements for non-municipal youth camps, including requirements related to immunizations, medication administration, inspections and investigations, criminal background checks, and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect.

As under existing law, municipal day camps must apply to OEC for a license at least 30 daysbefore openingthecamp andpay theassociated fee (currently $815 for for-profit camps and $315 for nonprofit camps).

Licenses must be renewed annually.

Under the bill, OEC may take various disciplinary actions against municipal youth camps under existing law, such as license suspension or revocation.

§ 8 — EARLY CHILDHOOD CABINET MEMBERSHIP Adds the Connecticut Library Consortium’s executive director to the membership of the Early Childhood Cabinet The bill increases the Early Childhood Cabinet’s membership, from to 32, by adding the Connecticut Library Consortium’s executive director.

By law, the Early Childhood Cabinet (1) advises OEC, (2) develops an annual action plan that assigns state agencies certain tasks specified in the federal Head Start Act, and (3) submits an annual state-wide strategic report that addresses agencies’ progress in meeting the action plan’s requirements.

§§ 9-11 — BIRTH-TO-THREE AND HELP ME GROW PROGRAMS Requires OEC to (1) update and expand the content of its one-page developmental milestone document, (2) conduct a quarterly review of children deemed ineligible for Birth-to-Three, and (3) provide certain supports to teen parents through the Help Me Grow program The bill makes various changes to notice and information collection requirements related to OEC’s Help Me Grow and Birth-to-Three programs (see Background).

It requires OEC to update, as needed, its one-page developmental document required under existing law.

Currently, the document must sSB6 / File No.

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199 (1) list key developmental milestones for children from birth to age five and (2) notify parents and guardians concerned that their child has not yet met any developmental milestones that they may access the OEC Child Development Infoline for information on appropriate services.

The bill additionally requires the document to notify parents and guardians that they may also access the Help Me Grow program for information on the following:

1.

accessing no-cost developmental screening and evaluation programs for children ages birth to five, 2.

connecting to community and in-home programs and services, 3.

parenting and healthy child development supports, and 4.

early intervention and special education services.

Under the bill, OEC must also do the following:

1.

conduct a quarterly review to determine how many children referred to the Birth-to-Three program were deemed ineligible and why;

2.

notify parents and guardians of ineligible children that they may receive additional supports and services from the Help Me Grow program;

3.

collect information on these ineligible children including (a) the types of supports and services and (b) additional referrals they receive under the Help Me Grow program;

and 4.

provide, through the Help Me Grow program, trainings and other social, educational, and workforce supports to teen parents in communities with teen birth rates greater than 10% (according to the Department of Public Health’s most recent data).

Background ― Birth-to-Three By law, the Birth-to-Three program is designed to strengthen sSB6 / File No.

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199 families’ capacities to meet the developmental and health-related needs of their infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities.

Generally, to be eligible for the program achild must (1) live in Connecticut, (2) be younger than three, and (3) have a developmental delay or a medical condition that most likely will result in a developmental delay.

Background ― Help Me Grow Program By law, the Help Me Grow program identifies children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems and connects them to existing community resources.

Program components include, among other things, (1) training child health providers in effective developmental surveillance;

(2) creating a resource inventory of community-based programs supporting child development and families;

(3) developing a coordinated, statewide referral system that links young children and families to existing services and support;

and (4) collecting data and analyses of children’s developmental status and statewide resources.

§ 12 — SPARKLER MOBILE APPLICATION Requires OEC to develop a report on its use of the Sparkler mobile application and submit its report to the Committee on Children by January 1, 2026 The bill requires OEC to develop a report on its use of the “Sparkler” mobile application (see Background ― Sparkler Mobile Application).

Under the bill, the report must address the following:

1.

how Sparkler assesses whether or how much children and families are learning;

2.

the intended and achieved outcomes of its coaching sessions, including whether the application measures the working alliance between the coach and parent or guardian;

3.

whether Sparkler promotes early healthy brain development, and if so, how that development is measured;

4.

how results are given to parents and guardians;

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199 5.

whetherchildrenaregrowinganddevelopingovertimeandhow the application measures and tracks this development;

and 6.

how Sparkler links families with health and education providers and whether it helps establish care teams and coordinated services.

The bill requires OEC to submit its report to the Committee on Children by January 1, 2026.

Background ― Sparkler Mobile Application Sparkler is a mobile application that gives parents and guardians with children ages birth to five social and emotional developmental screenings.

The application (1) tracks children’s developmental progress, (2) provides information on activities that can promote development, and(3)providesaccessto 211’s early childhoodproviders and care coordinators.

COMMITTEE ACTION Committee on Children Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 12 Nay 5 (03/06/2025) sSB6 / File No.

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