CT Early Childhood Alliance Names Chaleski '2024 Children's Champion'

**News Release Submitted by Connecticut House Republicans**

Aug. 23, 2024

In recognition of her work drafting a new law to bolster the early childcare sector and advocacy on similar legislation, State Representative Rachel Chaleski (R-138) was named a 2024 Children’s Champion by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance in a presentation Friday during the Danbury School Readiness Summer Professional Development Day.

The award recognizes people who’ve made “significant contributions to improving the lives of young children in Connecticut.” The Early Childhood Alliance is a statewide organization committed to getting all children healthy and ready to learn in kindergarten.

“I am humbled to receive this recognition for my bipartisan work on landmark early childhood care and education legislation, which will have an immense impact across the board and ultimately lead to an overall thriving economy to the benefit of all Connecticut residents," said Chaleski. "Most importantly, this will have long lasting impacts on a child’s life and future success.”

Rep. Chaleski was presented the recognition by Vanessa Hawke, Manager of Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance for her dedication to improving outcomes in the areas of education and the economic security for young children and their families.

"Representative Chaleski played a significant role in this past legislative session and its victories for early childhood. We want to credit her for being the lead Republican sponsor for a bipartisan bill to create the Early Childhood Fund and to create the Tri-Share program, and with helping to make this a truly bipartisan bill that was adopted unanimously by the legislature. We thank her for her advocacy and demonstrating her commitment to young children and caregivers," said Hawke.

The legislation establishes a 23-member advisory commission to review and report on the Early Childhood Care and Education Fund’s financial health and status, submit, and update a five-year plan to the legislature on Fund expenditures to ensure the longevity and sustainability of our early childhood education and childcare system.

"By taking a collaborative approach to ensuring the viability of early childhood education through a proposed advisory commission, we can pave a smooth path forward to serving all Connecticut families," noted Chaleski.

The bill also allocates a one-time lump sum payment to childcare workers and launches a pilot Tri-Share Child Care Matching Program, where childcare costs are shared equally between participating employers, employees, and the state.

"Childcare providers are among the first educators for our children. An infusion of early investments and innovation to supporting early childcare can address the challenges working households face with the growing divide between incomes and the cost of living," concluded Chaleski.