2016 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 10 - Education and Culture
Chapter 164 - Educational Opportunities
Section 10-16z - Early Childhood Cabinet. Members. Duties.
(a) There is established the Early Childhood Cabinet. The cabinet shall consist of: (1) The Commissioner of Early Childhood, or the commissioner’s designee, (2) the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner’s designee, (3) the Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner’s designee, (4) the president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, or the president’s designee, (5) the Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner’s designee, (6) the Commissioner of Developmental Services, or the commissioner’s designee, (7) the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the commissioner’s designee, (8) the executive director of the Commission on Children, or the executive director’s designee, (9) the project director of the Connecticut Head Start State Collaboration Office, (10) a parent or guardian of a child who attends or attended a school readiness program appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, (11) a representative of a local provider of early childhood education appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, (12) a representative of the Connecticut Family Resource Center Alliance appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, (13) a representative of a state-funded child care center appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, (14) two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom is a member of a board of education for a town designated as an alliance district, as defined in section 10-262u, and one of whom is a parent who has a child attending a school in an educational reform district, as defined in section 10-262u, (15) two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom is a representative of an association of early education and child care providers and one of whom is a representative of a public elementary school with a prekindergarten program, (16) eight appointed by the Governor, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Head Start Association, one of whom is a representative of the business community in this state, one of whom is a representative of the philanthropic community in this state, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut State Employees Association, one of whom is an administrator of the child care development block grant pursuant to the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, one of whom is responsible for administering grants received under section 1419 of Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1419, as amended from time to time, one of whom is responsible for administering the provisions of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 20 USC 6301 et seq., and one of whom is responsible for coordinating education services to children and youth who are homeless, (17) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary’s designee, (18) the Lieutenant Governor, or the Lieutenant Governor’s designee, (19) the Commissioner of Housing, or the commissioner’s designee, and (20) the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, or the commissioner’s designee.
(b) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall serve as a cochairperson of the cabinet. The other cochairperson of the cabinet shall be appointed from among its members by the Governor. The cabinet shall meet at least quarterly. Members shall not be compensated for their services. Any member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from the cabinet.
(c) Within available resources, the Early Childhood Cabinet shall (1) advise the Office of Early Childhood, established pursuant to section 10-500, (2) not later than December 1, 2009, and annually thereafter, develop an annual plan of action that assigns the appropriate state agency to complete the tasks specified in the federal Head Start Act of 2007, P.L. 110-134, as amended from time to time, and (3) not later than March 1, 2010, and annually thereafter, submit an annual state-wide strategic report, pursuant to said federal Head Start Act, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, addressing the progress such agencies have made toward the completion of such tasks outlined under said federal Head Start Act and this subsection to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and human services.
(d) The Early Childhood Cabinet shall be within the Office of Early Childhood for administrative purposes only.
(Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6, S. 50; P.A. 11-48, S. 285; 11-181, S. 1; P.A. 14-39, S. 18; P.A. 15-227, S. 13.)
History: Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6 effective October 5, 2009; pursuant to P.A. 11-48, “Commissioner of Higher Education” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-181 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner of Children and Families in Subdiv. (7), replacing representative from a Head Start program with a parent or guardian of a child who attends or attended a school readiness program in Subdiv. (10), redesignating existing Subdivs. (12) to (15) as Subdivs. (14) to (17), adding new Subdiv. (12) re representative of the Connecticut Family Resource Center Alliance and new Subdiv. (13) re representative of a state funded child care center, adding additional appointment in redesignated Subdiv. (16) re representative of Connecticut Head Start Association and making a conforming change, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-39 changed “Early Childhood Education Cabinet” to “Early Childhood Cabinet”, amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdiv. (1) re Commissioner of Early Childhood, redesignating existing Subdiv. (1) as Subdiv. (2), deleting former Subdiv. (2) re representative who is responsible for programs under federal act, deleting provision re representative from an institution of higher education in the state and adding “or the president’s designee,” in Subdiv. (4), replacing appointments re member of House of Representatives and parent who has child attending school in priority school district with appointments re board of education member for an alliance district and parent who has child attending school in educational reform district in Subdiv. (14), replacing appointment re member of Senate with appointment re representative of association of early education and child care providers in Subdiv. (15), changing number of gubernatorial appointments from 2 to 4 and adding appointments re representatives of philanthropic community and Connecticut State Employees Association in Subdiv. (16) and deleting provision re chairperson appointed from among members by Governor, added new Subsec. (b) re cochairpersons, members and meetings, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and amended same by replacing “appropriations and such private funding as may be available” with “resources” and replacing provision re coordination among state agencies and public and private partnerships with provision re advising Office of Early Childhood in Subdiv. (1), and redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d) and amended same by replacing “Department of Education” with “Office of Early Childhood”, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 15-227 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “four” with “eight” and adding additional appointments re administrator of child care development block grant, person responsible for administering grants under section 1419 of Part B of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, person responsible for administering provisions of Title I of Elementary and Secondary Education Act and person responsible for coordinating education services to homeless children and youth in Subdiv. (16), adding Subdiv. (18) re Lieutenant Governor, adding Subdiv. (19) re Commissioner of Housing and adding Subdiv. (20) re Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, effective July 1, 2015.
