BLOOMFIELD,CONN (WTIC Radio)-In a move to stabilize the workforce, the Lamont Administration announced its third round
of bonus payments to child care workers and staff.
This round covers approximately 21 thousand early childhood educators and staff, costing the state $55-million.
The total distribution is tabulated at $70 million.
The announcement by Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye and Governor Lamont was made at the Bloomfield Preschool and Childcare Center.
“Early childhood educators and staff are an essential part of our communities and help make Connecticut the most family-friendly state in the country,” Governor Lamont said. “These workers not only provide safe and nurturing care to our youngest infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, they are a major part of developing their abilities to expand their education skills as they get older, and they enable parents and guardians to obtain their own employment to support their families. Child care is critical to our workforce and economy. We must support this important industry that is so vital to families, the workplace, and society.”
“Connecticut recognizes that the early care and education workforce is a vital part of our education and workforce system,” Commissioner Bye said. “They support our youngest learners and their families every day. These funds are designed to help to retain early education staff and enhance their wages that are well below other education professionals.”
“The wage support grant is a step in the right direction and signifies to us, as early childhood educators, that the state of Connecticut appreciates the hard work that we do every day for our children, families, and communities,” Jessica Salvador, director of the Bloomfield Preschool and Childcare Center, said. “Most important, it demonstrates that the State of Connecticut values the importance of early childhood education.”
