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The 14 communities receiving Smart Start funding are Ansonia, Bridgeport, Coventry, Derby, East Hartford, East Haven, Enfield, Killingly, Norwich, Plainfield, Stamford, Wallingford, West Hartford and Windsor.
Funding for public preschool classrooms will begin in fiscal year 2016 (which begins in July 1, 2015) with $100 million in operating funding available over a 10-year period (maximum $10 million per year) from the Tobacco Settlement Fund. Funding for Stamford will go as follows: 1 classroom, 15 students; $75,000 from Capital Improvement Funding (State Bond Funds); and $75,000 from Operations Funding (Tobacco Settlement Fund).
Funds for the expansion come under the state’s Smart Start initiative. This is the first year of the 10-year initiative. A total of $1,587,055 for capital improvements will be considered at an upcoming meeting of the State Bond Commission, in addition to $2,088,350 for operational expenses from the Tobacco Settlement fund.
Communities applying for capital improvements are expected to go before the State Bond Commission in April with funding anticipated to be available in May. Operational expenses for classrooms beginning in September will be available in July.
“Thanks to Smart Start, 416 more 3- and 4-year-olds in Connecticut will be able to attend high-quality preschool this fall,” said Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Myra Jones-Taylor. Smart Start was signed into law by Gov. Malloy in 2014 with the intent of expanding preschool in public school settings. To be eligible for Smart Start funding, districts need to demonstrate an unmet need for preschool in their communities.
In addition, Smart Start preschool classrooms must provide high-quality early education, including a minimum of school-day and school-year programming; hold accreditation and be in good standing with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, be approved and/or in good standing with the federal Head Start program, have documentation that they are obtaining accreditation from NAEYC or have a plan to ensuring the program will be accredited within three years of receiving funding through Smart Start; classroom sizes do not exceed 18 children; and priority enrollment for children from low-income families, children with special needs and children who are dual language learners receive priority enrollment.
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