State Profile | Connecticut

The Afterschool Investments project has developed profiles for each state to provide a snapshot of the "state of afterschool," as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. This profile provides key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which includes a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. It is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers.

• Quick Facts
• Statewide Initiatives
• Notable Local Initiatives
• Statewide Organizations
• Additional Resources
• Notes and Sources

Quick Facts

Demographics

For more demographic information, visit http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

CCDF Administrative Overview

Settings

Where CCDF-Subsidy school age-children are served:

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool

"Resource and referral and school-age" targeted funds:
The Lead Agency will contract with state supported school-age child care programs to provide comprehensive services as recommended by the National After School Association.  The state supported school-age programs work with the Lead Agency to meet the community child care needs for all children, including school-age children.

Other quality activities:
The funds are used for comprehensive consumer education and to monitor licensing and regulatory requirements.  They can also be used for professional development, improving childcare providers’ salaries, activities promoting inclusive childcare, youth focused health programs, and activities which increase parental choice.

Provider Reimbursement Rates

Tiered Reimbursement Rate System:
A 5% bonus per child for licensed facilities achieving and maintaining national accreditation standards and enroll children from the Lead Agency’s child care subsidy program.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

Program Licensing Policies

Exemptions apply to programs run by public school systems or by a municipal agency if the municipal program is located in a public school building and serves children who go to that school.

Systems/Quality Supports

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)

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Statewide Initiatives

• Connecticut State Afterschool Program. For the past two state fiscal years, over $5 million in State Department of Education grant funds have been provided, each year, to local boards of education and community-based organizations for afterschool programming. Over 40 applications were funded and it has allowed an additional 6,000 children to receive an afterschool program. These programs provide students with academic enrichment opportunities, as well as additional activities designed to complement school district academic programs. Services include tutoring and mentoring, homework help, academic enrichment (such as hands-on science or technology programs), community service opportunities, as well as music, arts, sports and cultural activities. At the same time, programs assist working parents by providing a safe environment for students.

• Connecticut Statewide After-School Advisory Committee. In July 2003, building on extensive planning by several state agencies and others, Connecticut Public Act 03-206 permanently established the Statewide After School Advisory Council.  With the leadership of the State Department of Education, the Department of Social Services and the Connecticut Commission on Children, the Council acts as the statewide policy coordinating body. Members of the Council include more than 30 representatives of State agencies, businesses, philanthropy and other stakeholders.  The Council is staffed by the Connecticut After School Network.

  For more information, visit: http://www.ctafterschoolnetwork.org/resources/after_school_advisory_council.html.

• Connecticut After School Network. The Network’s vision is that every Connecticut child and youth will have the opportunity to participate in high quality, affordable after school programs.  Their mission is to lead, educate and advocate for excellence in the after school field by building professionalism, strengthening program quality and increasing availability and affordability.

  Network goals are to:

  • Create a sustainable structure of statewide, regional, and local partnerships, particularly school-community partnerships, focused on supporting policy development at all levels.
  • Support the development and growth of statewide policies that will secure the resources that are needed to sustain new and existing after school programs.
  • Support statewide systems to ensure programs are of high quality.

  For more information, see http://www.ctafterschoolnetwork.org.

• Connecticut Charts-A-Course (CCAC). Connecticut Charts-A-Course (CCAC) is a career development system for child care providers that is supported by state and federal funds. One component of the program is the Scholarship Assistance Fund, which provides childcare providers, including afterschool staff, with funding to pursue further training in school age care and ultimately receive a credential. Additionally, CCAC administers the Accreditation Facilitation Project which supports quality improvement and the acquisition of national accreditation standards in center-based, school-age programs.

  For more information, see http://www.ctcharts-a-course.org.

• Charter Oak State College - After School Education Credential. The Credential in After School Education is a professional certification program developed through collaboration among Charter Oak State College, the Connecticut After School Network, and Connecticut Charts-A-Course.  The Credential establishes educational and experiential competency standards for specialists in the care and education of children, ages 5 – 15, outside of school hours.

  For more information, see http://www.charteroak.edu

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Notable Local Initiatives

• Local/Regional Alliances exist in 10 locations throughout Connecticut.
  • Bridgeport Lighthouse Programs
  • Danbury Public Schools "SAFE" After School Programs
  • Hartford Coalition for Children and Families
  • New Britain Youth Network
  • New Haven City-Wide Youth Coalition
  • Northwest Connecticut After School Alliance
  • Norwalk After School Alliance
  • Southeast Connecticut After School Alliance
  • Stamford Out of School Time Alliance (SOSTA)
  • Waterbury YDAC

  To find out more information about these organizations contact the Connecticut After School Network at http://www.ctafterschoolnetwork.org

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Statewide Organizations

National AfterSchool Association Affiliate/Statewide Afterschool Network:

Connecticut After School Network
12 Melrose Avenue
Branford, CT 06405
Phone: 203-483-9757
Email: info@ctafterschoolnetwork.org
Web: http://www.ctafterschoolnetwork.org

Statewide Child Care Resource & Referral Network:

211-Child Care
1344 Silas Deane Highway
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Phone: 860-571-7500 (In-state dial 211)
Web: http://www.211childcare.org/

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Additional Resources

State Child Care Administrators:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf

State TANF Contacts:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/tanf-dr.htm

21st Century Community Learning Centers Contacts:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/contacts.html

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Notes and Sources

Demographics

Total population, 2008: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children ages 5-12, 2008: Estimates of the Resident Population by Single-Year of Age and Sex for the United States and States: July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau.

Percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch rate, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Note: Most recent data.

Percent of K-12 students in Title I "schoolwide" schools, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from poor families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. Note: Most recent data.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the largest federal funding source for child care. States receive a funding allocation determined by formula and have broad flexibility to design programs that provide child care subsidies for low-income children under the age of 13 and to enhance the quality of child care for all children. Federal CCDF funding consists of mandatory, matching, and discretionary funds. Federal law requires that states spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds as well as additional targeted funds on activities to improve the quality and availability of child care. CCDF administrative data in this and the following sections is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau, as reported by States, unless otherwise noted.

FFY09 CCDF Allocation: Funding allocations are based on appropriation and do not reflect any reallotted or redistributed funds that may occur at a later date.

FFY09 state MOE plus match: In order to receive Federal matching funds, a state must expend Maintenance of Effort funds. Note that this does not capture actual expenditures, only the minimum required to draw down all available federal funds.

FFY09 Tribal CCDF Allocation: Federal CCDF Funds are awarded directly to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates an additional $2 billion in one-time CCDF Discretionary funding available to State, Territory and Tribal Lead Agencies in FY09 as part of the economic stimulus package.

FFY07 total quality expenditures: This data includes FY07 and prior year funds expended for quality from each of the CCDF funding streams (mandatory, matching, and discretionary) and expenditures under targeted funds for infant and toddler, school-age care and resource and referral. This figure provides information obtained from state financial reports submitted for FY07.

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool: Portions of CCDF discretionary funds are targeted specifically for resource and referral and school-age child care activities as well as for quality expansion. (These funds are in addition to the required 4 percent minimum quality expenditure.)

Maximum rate for school-age category: Rates are listed for center-based care, family child care, and license exempt programs; where rates vary by region or county, the rate for the most populated urban area is given.

Standardized monthly school-age rate: Monthly rate for a child, age 8, in care after school during the school year at a center in the most costly district for four hours per day, 20 days per month. Calculated (in the lowest tier of a tiered system) using information from the FY2008-2009 State CCDF Plan, including rate structures, as submitted to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Separate subsidy rates for different age ranges and Tiered Reimbursement Rate Systems: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Bureau. Report of State Plans FY2008-2009.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2007/tanf_2007.html.

Program Licensing Policies

States with separate school-age licensing standards and states with specialized requirements for child care centers serving school-age children: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) and National Association for Regulatory Administration, 2007 Child Care Licensing Study, see: http://www.naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=160.

Ratio of children to adults in school-age setting: Data from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), available at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov.

School-based, school-age programs exempt from licensing: Research conducted by Afterschool Investments, March 2008.

Systems/Quality Supports

School-age credential: NCCIC, State Professional Development System Credentials for Individuals, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/pd-credentials.html.

Statewide quality rating system: NCCIC, Quality Rating Systems: Definitions and Statewide Systems, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/qrs-defsystems.html.

Statewide afterschool network: National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, see: http://www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net/.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state formula grant. Funds flow to states based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Data from the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Office and the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System as of July 2009.

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The Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract to The Finance Project for the Afterschool Investments project. The goals of the Afterschool Investments project include:

• Identifying ways that state and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.

Contact Us:

Email:
afterschool@financeproject.org

Web:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-1000
Web: www.financeproject.org

The Afterschool Investments project's State Profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of noteworthy State and local initiatives across the country. Inclusion of an initiative in the Profiles does not represent an endorsement of a particular policy or practice.