Connecticut’s Children Committee wants lawmakers to make child care more accessible and affordable.
The committee’s co-chairs, Rep. Corey Paris and Sen. Ceci Maher, said their priorities for 2025 include universal school meals and security measures.
The proposed bill would require school districts across the state to make all meals free for kids — breakfast, lunch, and anything else. The state board of education would give districts money to cover the meals.
Senator Ceci Maher said no child should worry about their next meal.
“And the bill isn’t just about feeding children. It’s about ensuring that every student reaches their full potential,” Maher said. “A hungry child cannot focus, cannot learn, and therefore cannot succeed. Providing universal school meals is an essential and powerful step towards educational equity.”
Maher said they’ve also put forward an act to strengthen school emergency response systems.
“We must ensure that every child feels safe in their learning environment. Schools should be places of growth, curiosity, opportunity, and not places of fear, not places of lockdowns, not places where people have to look for where the exit is,” said Maher.
The committee said it’s working with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Children and Families to combat the systemic barriers keeping families in poverty across the state.
“We’re growing our focus on early childhood education and prenatal to three care, recognizing that the foundation that we lay for our children in their earliest years actually determines their success later in life,” Paris said.
Jeneice Ramos is a wife and mother of two. She said families like hers are forced to make impossible decisions, such as choosing between childcare and paying bills.
“The reality is without affordable child care, everything else falls apart. Parents can’t work, families are stuck, and children are missing out on early learning opportunities that set them up for success,” Ramos said.
Behavioral and mental health are also among the state’s most urgent challenges. To address these issues, they’ve proposed a bill enabling children to receive timely and appropriate care.
“No child should struggle in silence, and no family should be left to navigate these challenges alone,” Maher said. “Mental health is just as vital as physical health, and as policymakers, we must ensure that children have the support and resources they need.”
The committee also said they want to improve foster care maintenance payments. This would ensure that foster families receive the support they need to provide stable, nurturing homes for children.
They’ve also proposed an act creating an early care and education program portal. The portal would streamline access to childcare resources and help families find high-quality programs more easily.
The committee also said they want to make educators pay more equitablely and ensure diverse books are available in school libraries.
