RAPID and The Connecticut Project partnership

Community served

One in four Connecticut residents can’t make ends meet each month. The Connecticut Project aims to create opportunities with and for people who have historically been left out: people who are in financial crisis (lower income) and people who live on the verge of crisis (asset-limited), who make up more than 550,000 households across all parts of the state.

Priorities and goals

The Connecticut Project is dedicated to transforming Connecticut by connecting communities, amplifying ideas, and unlocking resources to support people who are working class and middle class. It envisions a thriving state where race, gender, income, geography, and other circumstances no longer predetermine opportunity. Focus areas include:

• Early education and child care
• Housing and community development
• Democracy and good governance
• Economic opportunity 

Engaging families

In 2024, the RAPID Survey Project began collaborating with The Connecticut Project and community-based organizations in the state to hear directly from Connecticut families with young children about their experiences. The Connecticut Project and its partners use this information to inform early learning and care professionals, policymakers, funders, economic and workforce developers, intermediaries, and business leaders so that program and policy recommendations are reflective of what families in the state say they need.

Data and insights

The data show that more work is needed to ensure all families with young children in Connecticut know about the availability of Care 4 Kids, the state’s child care subsidy program, and to support families looking for child care. This fact sheet represents survey data from 1,803 parents of children under age 6 across all eight Connecticut counties, who shared their experiences with child care access and affordability. These findings point to the need to address Connecticut parents’ concerns and experiences so they are better supported in providing the healthy, responsive caregiving that is essential to their young children’s development.