About Us

Building on nearly a decade of attention to the needs of Connecticut’s young children, the Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet – established in law in 2005 – has worked for nearly a year to identify a set of agenda items designed to promote the development of all of the state’s young children.

The Early Childhood Research and Policy Council was formed through Executive Order 13 by Governor M. Jodi Rell, in February 2006. The purpose of the Council is to:

  1. Advise the Early Childhood Education Cabinet on investments in early childhood initiatives;
  2. Recommend ways to build and support a network of early childhood researchers across Connecticut's education systems;
  3. Engage Connecticut's academic researchers in design of a longitudinal study of children's development;
  4. Examine, from a business perspective, possible strategies to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Connecticut's early care and education "industry";
  5. Propose additional "return on investment" (ROI) studies necessary to evaluate and support early childhood care and education, quality improvement and expansion proposals;
  6. Consult with the Cabinet in its preparation of the Cabinet's Early Childhood Investment Plan regarding the expansion of high quality early childhood education services leading to the readiness for kindergarten of all Connecticut children upon entry into kindergarten; and
  7. Consult with the Cabinet in monitoring the ongoing implementation of the Connecticut Early Childhood Investment Plan.

For the complete text of Executive Order 13, please click here