Some legislators are looking to delay a law they put into place just last year. Specifically, a requirement that all kids be 5 years old before Sept. 1 to enroll in kindergarten.
Parents and school officials say they haven’t had enough time to get ready.
“In hindsight, we should have anticipated this,” Rep. Mary Welander (D-Orange) said during a press conference at the Legislative Office Building on Thursday.
The change is meant to bring Connecticut in line with the rest of the country – it's currently the only state that opens kindergarten to students who turn 5 after Oct. 1 each year.
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Parents and teachers support the change, but say the rush has families scrambling over what to do with 9,000 kids who turn 5 between Sept. 2 and Dec. 31.
“We've been so excited about and we’ve been planning our whole lives around this September 2024,” Stephanie Deceus, a New Haven mother of three, said.
Parents can get a waiver for kids born during the last four months of the year to enroll before they turn 5, but there’s no consistency in how that process works.
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Some towns are opening the waiver to all families that want it, while others are requiring an assessment to ensure children are ready.
A few towns aren’t telling parents about the waiver at all. That’s leaving some families trying to figure out what to do with their 4-year-olds next year.
The state already has a shortage of childcare, so some families are running out of options for kids who can’t get into kindergarten.
“I'm here to ask legislators to give this year delay in order to assist and accommodate families that are struggling, in need and very unprepared for this change,” Waterbury parent Linnette Mendoza said.
Lawmakers from both parties say they hear parents’ frustration.
“I'm in favor of the change, but I think we made a mistake,” Rep. David Rutigliano (R-Trumbull) said. “I think we should have phased it in.”
Lawmakers at the press conference said they’re working to convince their colleagues to make a change this session.
Sen. Doug McCrory (D-Hartford) is co-chairman of the Education Committee. He was not at the press conference, but said his committee is looking at ways to help families.
“(T)he consternation of parents impacted by this change has not fallen on deaf ears and we’re having conversations about the best way to address those concerns,” he said in a statement.
The legislature will need to change or delay the policy, just as it adopted the new requirement last year.
Gov. Ned Lamont said he’s watching what lawmakers do, but he’s open to a change.
“I've heard a lot of pushback,” he said at an unrelated event Thursday. “I’m not quite sure what the rush is if we’re not prepared for the change.”
