Education Kindergarten

Report: Connecticut School Districts Unprepared for Kindergarten Eligibility Changes

Elementary school classroom with desks and chairs for young children
Credits: Lopolo / Shutterstock

A new report published Tuesday by the Connecticut Project found that school districts throughout the state are not ready for kindergarten eligibility changes this summer.

The report comes on the heels of a law passed in 2023 which would require kindergarten students to turn five before September. 1 of the academic year in which they are enrolling. According to advocates, the change could represent a new financial burden for impacted families, who will pay an average of $12,731 per child in additional preschool expenses.

In the face of these looming changes, The Connecticut Project is requesting that the state legislature allocate $50 million to subsidize pre-K and child care, primarily in school districts that are made up mostly of low-income families. Those subsidies will go toward creating more early care spots for an estimated 4,500 children of low-income families, as well as other early care and education options.

Whether it be the creation of more early care spots to combat a loss of kindergarten eligibility for students, or providing families with the necessary time and resources it could take to adjust to the policy change, Coralys Santana, policy and advocacy strategist for The Connecticut Project Action Fund says that buck has to stop at the General Assembly’s door.

“The legislature created this problem, and it is the legislature’s responsibility to address it,” Santana said. Those who are being hit hardest by the problem are low-income families, Santana said, and they need to receive immediate relief.

In his budget for the 2025 fiscal year, Gov. Ned Lamont wants to spend an additional $43.3 million, on top of the existing $68.8 million already included in the budget for early childhood initiatives. This includes expanding eligibility for Care4Kids from 60% of state median income to 65% and providing state funding to replace the expiring federal funds for additional pre-K slots in public schools.

The report repeats a call for action that was initially made in October, but with additional data obtained through an anonymous survey of the state’s school district superintendents.

According to the report, 87% of the 98 superintendents who completed the survey agreed with increasing funding for early childhood services, and 55% strongly agreed with increasing subsidies to assist families in finding childcare spots. More than 57% said they either did not have the time and resources to assess children’s kindergarten readiness, or declined to say whether or not they agreed.

In what the organization dubbed a “childcare crisis,” it says the legislature has not provided enough funding for low-income families or children who will be displaced from early childhood education under the new policy. Even prior to the eligibility change, 42 districts in the state had unmet preschool needs, while 72 had unmet infant and toddler care needs, according to The Connecticut Project.

Those effects could be mitigated, the organization says, if some more time is granted. The necessary changes, Santana said, won’t happen overnight. Waitlists are long, he said, and the issue is being compounded by a short timeline and lack of subsidy budget.

TCP claims in its report that a delay in applying this change until the 2025/2026 school year would be beneficial, and give schools more time to solidify their plans and give families time to adjust. 53.2% of surveyed superintendents either agreed or strongly agreed that a delay would be beneficial.

According to the report, there is “no uniformity” in how school districts are approaching the coming changes, and only 60% of the school district sites which were reviewed had an easily-accessed, updated entry policy available. While some detail an assessment that can be taken to supersede the policy change, and allow a younger student to enroll, that is not included in each district.

Santana said that from the beginning, the process of implementing the policy change was not well thought out. While superintendents are wrestling with putting plans in place, she said, and parents are struggling to adjust their own because of the rushed implementation of the change.

The policy change, which would first go into effect before the beginning of the next school year, brings Connecticut up to standard with most of the country.

In an open letter last year to Lamont and legislative leaders, more than 100 parents, groups and providers urged state policymakers to approve $50 million in additional support to subsidize pre-K and child care for more than 9,000 children who will no longer be eligible to start kindergarten.

“We commend the spirit of this policy change which brings our state in alignment with most other states and aims to create conditions in which children enter kindergarten ready to thrive,” the letter read. “However, the short timeline and lack of resources identified to support effective implementation will have dire consequences on lower-income families, early childhood educators, and the children this policy change aims to support.”

What’s important, Santana said, is providing resources, funding, and time to make sure children are given a good learning space.