This spring, the Connecticut General Assembly voted to raise the minimum age for automatic entry into public school in Connecticut. Effective in the fall of 2024, children will need to turn five on or before September 1 of the school year to be automatically eligible to enroll in kindergarten. Currently, the cut-off is January 1st, so children could start kindergarten at age 4 years and 9 months. Children with fall birthdays who were enrolled in Pre-K 3 or Pre-K 4 programs for this fall, based on the January cut-off, will not be able to move up to kindergarten as planned.

The ECCS is working with the preschool programs in town to determine how they will change their programs - both to provide opportunities for those needing a third year of Pre-K and what the Pre-K cut-off dates will be in the future.

The legislation also allows a school district to make an exception and admit a child who has not turned five by September 1 of the school year if the parent makes a request in writing and the school conducts an assessment of the child to ensure that admitting such child is developmentally appropriate. The Southington School District is working on the logistics about how to make this request.

More information will be announced as the district and programs determine their plans.

A guidance document for parents, jointly authored by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is available in English here https://www.ctoec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/oec-csde-joint-guidance-new-entry-age-kindergarten-2023-07-07.pdf and in Spanish here https://www.ctoec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/oec-csde-joint-guidance-new-entry-age-kindergarten-spanish-2023-07-07.pdf



*Events*
The ECCS will be exhibiting at these family-friendly events. We hope to see you there! Southington Farmer’s Market Southington Town Green Fridays, 3 - 6 pm on July 21, August 4, and every other week through the end of September. Stop by our table and ask your questions about raising children here in town. Loads and Laughs Playdate Super Suds Laundromat. 166 Main St, Southington Thursday, August 3rd. Drop-in from 10:30 to 12. Bring your laundry and little ones, and Super Suds will provide snacks, drinks, and the fun! ECCS Fundraiser at Puerto Vallarta Save the date: September 26, 2023 from 3 pm to close Enjoy great food and a fun night out while supporting the ECCS – 20% of all sales at Puerto Vallarta on Queen Street will be donated to the ECCS.

*Change to Kindergarten Start Age*
This spring, the Connecticut General Assembly voted to raise the minimum age for automatic entry into public school in Connecticut. Effective in the fall of 2024, children will need to turn five on or before September 1 of the school year to be automatically eligible to enroll in kindergarten. Currently, the cut-off is January 1st, so children could start kindergarten at age 4 years and 9 months. Children with fall birthdays who were enrolled in Pre-K 3 or Pre-K 4 programs for this fall, based on the January cut-off, will not be able to move up to kindergarten as planned. The ECCS is working with the preschool programs in town to determine how they will change their programs - both to provide opportunities for those needing a third year of Pre-K and what the Pre-K cut-off dates will be in the future. The legislation also allows a school district to make an exception and admit a child who has not turned five by September 1 of the school year if the parent makes a request in writing and the school conducts an assessment of the child to ensure that admitting such child is developmentally appropriate. The Southington School District is working on the logistics about how to make this request. More information will be announced as the district and programs determine their plans. A guidance document for parents, jointly authored by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is available in English here https://www.ctoec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/oec-csde-joint-guidance-new-entry-age-kindergarten-2023-07-07.pdf and in Spanish here https://www.ctoec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/oec-csde-joint-guidance-new-entry-age-kindergarten-spanish-2023-07-07.pdf
*Connect with Other Parents!*
You're invited to join our new Facebook communities! We have set up individual Facebook groups for Southington families of children born or due in each year from 2018 to 2024. We hope that with these groups, we can help foster a sense of community for the families of young children. Learn more about these groups and the importance of community at www.southingtonearlychildhood.org/resources/community All the groups can be found at www.facebook.com/ECCSouthington/groups.
*Special Education Parent Teacher Association*
One of the ECCS Parent Ambassadors, Betsy Mintz, is working on a project to start a SEPTA (Special Education Parent Teacher Association) for our town. Betsy wrote "I am looking to see if there is a group of people who would be interested in coming to a meeting about the possibility of setting up this program. This meeting would include someone from the state level to answer questions. I have also reached out to others who are running their own SEPTA in their towns to help answer questions. As of now it would be a program for families of children with special needs (and those who support them) for kids of all ages throughout the district. If we find a need to have separate ones for different grade schools we can address that at a later date. I am the parent of a little boy with autism. I can understand how difficult this process can be with the school district and how much it would help to have open communication. Also, a place to voice concerns from both sides (parents and teachers) and hopefully bridge a gap." If you are interested, contact the ECCS at southingtonearlychildhood@gmail.com and Betsy will respond with info. Please see the link for more general information about SEPTA's https://www.pta.org/home/About-National-Parent-Teacher-Association/Governance/Types-of-PTAs/Start-a-Special-Education-PTA
*CT child care sector braces for fallout as COVID grants end*
The Connecticut Mirror published this article about emergency funding, CT kindergarten age rising, and the strain on childcare providers. Joanne Kelleher, Executive Director of the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington, notes that a 2021 “baby boom” in Connecticut makes the timing particularly difficult for parents, who are already struggling to find openings for their children. “It’s the perfect storm of not enough staff, not enough spots, and now more babies.”
*Ways you can Support ECCS*
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*About Us*
The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington is a group of committed educators, parents, grandparents, healthcare and childcare providers, business owners, civic organizations, and members of the community who are deeply invested in the growth, development, and academic success of young children in Southington.

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