Harris praises Connecticut for spending aid on kids
Vice President Kamala Harris praised Connecticut officials Friday for how the state plans to spend some of the billions of dollars from the newly passed coronavirus relief package on education and child care initiatives, noting the pandemic has given policymakers an opportunity to address longstanding challenges.
The Democrat, who made her first visit to the state since the November election, held a “listening session” on child poverty and education with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, the state’s former education commissioner, as well as state and federal officials at the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven. She later visited the West Haven Child Development Center.
“I do believe the pandemic has been an accelerator and also highlighting and making very clear the fractures and the fissures and the fault lines in our systems,” she said. “And this is a moment that, as we look at where we are, it is a moment to leapfrog over what might have otherwise been incremental change to actually fast-forward and address some of those long-standing issues that have affected our children.”
Harris lauded Connecticut officials, including Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, for how the state plans to spend its share of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The governor announced Friday his administration will release $210 million of the federal funding it has received to support early childhood programs across the state.
“There is a reason that we’re here,” said Harris, who called Connecticut’s plan a model for the nation. “It’s a big country, right?”
Under Lamont’s plan, $50 million will be set aside over two years to pay for child care services through the state’s existing Care 4 Kids program for parents enrolled in higher education and approved workforce training programs. This would include parents who lost their jobs during the pandemic and need retraining for new employment.
Also, $120 million is earmarked for “operational stabilization grants” to help struggling child care businesses that were hit hard because of COVID-19.