KENT, Conn.—Raising children takes a village. In today’s world, that village often includes paid childcare providers that families rely on while they work to earn a living. However, in Kent and surrounding areas, high childcare costs present a significant barrier for families trying to access necessary childcare.
In addition to the high cost of childcare, the recent closure of Warren Church Community Childcare and the announcement of the impending closure of a daycare just over the state line in Millerton, N.Y., leave area families with even fewer childcare options.
For families in Connecticut, financial relief for childcare costs will be available beginning July 2027 in the form of a new permanent state savings account, The Early Childhood Education Endowment. Initially funded with a $300 million unappropriated budget surplus enabled by the interest on American Rescue Plan Act funds, the endowment fund will help pay for childcare costs for children ages birth to 5.
For families with a household income under $100,000 per year, 100 percent of childcare costs will be covered. For families earning over $100,000 per year, childcare costs will be capped at 7 percent of gross annual household income. Currently, Connecticut families pay an average of 16 to 27 percent of their gross annual income on childcare, according to a presentation by the Office of Early Childhood.
“It’s expensive to pay for childcare,” said Veronique Mertl, president of the board of directors for Kent Community Nursery School (KCNS), during a recent interview.
KCNS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nursery school that has been serving children ages 32 months through 5 years since 1968 in the lower level of the annex of St. Andrew’s Church in downtown Kent.
“Full-time enrollment in our program from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday costs just over $16,000 per year per child for the school year,” Mertl continued.
“We try to make it as affordable as possible and encourage families to apply for scholarships,” Mertl continued, noting that childcare facilities, including KCNS, have certain fixed costs, like rent, staffing, insurance, state fees for licensure, etc., that factor into the tuition amount.
“The issue families are really feeling right now is affordability,” said State Rep. Maria Horn in a phone interview on Wednesday, Oct. 29, echoing Mertl’s sentiment. Horn represents towns in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut: Canaan, Cornwall, part of Goshen, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, part of Torrington, and Washington.
In addition to providing financial assistance to families to pay for childcare, the endowment fund also aims to increase the wages for childcare workers.
“Teachers are not being paid enough,” Mertl said.
KCNS teachers, like many childcare workers, are described in economic terms as ALICE—Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed—earning above the federal poverty line, yet struggling to afford basic expenses. According to the most recent data available from 2023, of the just over 50,000 households in the Northwest Hills Planning Region, 36 percent live below the ALICE threshold.
“One of the most important things in childcare is the sustainability of the caretaker,” Mertl remarked. “Continuity and consistency are key. For a child to have had the same teacher for two to three years in a row—that’s important.” Raising wages to retain good teachers is one way to achieve that sustainability and consistency.
“Raising wages is the first thing on the list,” Horn emphasized.
A health insurance subsidy pilot program for childcare workers will also be implemented in 2027, too. By 2032, the state hopes to create an additional 20,000 childcare slots.
To learn more about the endowment fund, see the Connecticut Office of Early Education website here or download a PDF explainer here.