Hartford Foundation submits testimony in support of legislation to provide universal free school meals and proposed study and report on expanding childcare

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An Act Providing School Meals To All Students, and House Bill 6840, An Act Requiring The Office Of Early Childhood To Study The Availability Of Child Care Services Throughout The State And To Develop A Plan To Address Infant And Toddler Child Care Services Needs For Low-income Families. 

As part of our efforts to dismantle structural racism and advance equity in social and economic mobility in Greater Hartford's Black and Latine communities, the Hartford Foundation supports basic human needs in our region, applying an equity lens to the systems and programs that address access to food, stable housing, physical and mental health care, and the digital divide.

The Hartford Foundation and other philanthropic organizations have supported increasing food security across the Greater Hartford region for many years. To advance efforts to ensure children and families throughout Connecticut have the nutrition they need to thrive, the state must lead efforts to invest in preventing and eliminating food insecurity. Public commitment must also address the interconnection across basic human needs programs and systems to increase access to healthy food,  physical and mental health, and housing services to provide adequate support to the nonprofit organizations and state agencies delivering these services. 

To advance these goals, the foundation supports Senate Bill 1217, An Act Providing School Meals To All Students. Through our work, we have seen increased needs among families with children to access adequate food, health, and other basic services. High grocery prices and the rising number of families with limited income struggling to make ends meet require the state to provide a safety net that ensures that students have the nutrition needed to learn and grow. 

One in eight Connecticut children experiences hunger, with Black and Latine children making up a disproportionate share. By funding free school breakfasts, Connecticut can reduce child hunger and advance equity in health and education in communities across the state.

As reported in DataHaven’s 2023 Greater Hartford Community Wellbeing Index, with rising inflation, many Connecticut families have struggled with food insecurity. In 2022, the food insecurity rate in Connecticut was 17 percent, with Latino households experiencing the highest rates of food insecurity at 34 percent and Black households at 25 percent, compared to 11 percent of White households. The foundation continues to support DataHaven in providing current, actionable data on this issue. We also appreciate the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity first annual report issued in 2024 on food insecurity that can also inform this work: There are 65 Low-Income, Low-Access census tracts (“food deserts”) in Connecticut with an average distance of at least one mile to a grocery store, and 207 with an average distance of at least 0.5 miles.

For many years, the foundation has provided annual grants to address basic human needs (totaling approximately $7 million each year) to support both regional and local nonprofit agencies across Greater Hartford in providing direct services and addressing systemic challenges. Our grants tackle a range of related issues, including food security and healthy food choice and other supports for wellness. This past year, the foundation’s investments included more than $688,000 in Emergency Assistance Grants to 71 nonprofit organizations throughout the region. More than half of these grants were focused on for food or food assistance. These grants prioritized nonprofits that serve neighborhoods and towns in the region with a higher percentage of residents living in poverty and seek to reduce barriers to equitable access to basic needs. Our investments have helped to address a portion of the enormous need, but philanthropy cannot adequately address food insecurity without state investment in free food programs in public schools where access to food is essential. 

Senate Bill 1217 provides adequate state funding to each local and regional school district to provide free lunch and breakfast to all students free of charge. If enacted, Connecticut can ensure that all students have access to free school meals, removing financial barriers that might have prevented some children from receiving nutritious food during the school day. By providing all students with access to free school meals, Connecticut can also remove some of the stigma attached to receiving free and reduced cost meals which can prevent students from receiving the nutrition they need. 

As part of our strategic work, the Hartford Foundation seeks to increase stable employment opportunities for Black and Latine adults and youth facing barriers to employment. In Greater Hartford, there are a number of good paying jobs available, but access to affordable, quality childcare remains a barrier for many working parents. The foundation’s efforts focus on preparation, hiring and retention of residents with significant barriers to employment. This work includes 2Gen programs that take a family-centered approach and considers childcare and supports for both the parents and children, allowing parents to focus on their education and job training. 

In January 2016, the foundation launched the Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) that integrated education programs, support services, and career development to assist adult learners and expand their academic and job skill levels as a way of reaching self-sufficiency. CPI included an extensive evaluation of its various programs and outlined some of the challenges and success of the initiative. One of the key findings was that childcare was the most frequent and costliest barrier to address. While several of the CPI programs included support for childcare, it ultimately remained a significant barrier to employment. 

Ensuring that all children, especially those most vulnerable, have access to high quality early childhood experiences is a critical step to removing this barrier to employment. Since 1987, the foundation has invested more than $40 million in early childhood development across the Greater Hartford area. The foundation has supported early childhood policy, funding, and program quality, recognizing their importance in ensuring optimal safety and learning outcomes for children and pathways to economic security for their families and caregivers. Part of our early work included convening local childcare providers to support licensing and organizational development. As part of its COVID response efforts, the foundation awarded financial support to childcare providers, including assistance in applying for federal Paycheck Protection Program funds.

The foundation supports House Bill 6840 which requires the Office of Early Childhood to conduct an annual comprehensive study of childcare services availability in Connecticut. This analysis will allow the Office of Early Childhood the information needed to fully assess the current landscape of childcare services and develop a plan to address childcare shortages for low-income families. This plan will include creating strategies for identifying families in need, increasing the number of subsidized childcare slots, and ensuring low-income families can access these slots. The foundation appreciates the proposal’s inclusion of family childcare providers. Home-based childcare centers play a vital role in solving the dire shortage of childcare for infants and toddlers, care that is linguistically and culturally appropriate as well as available during non-traditional hours.

The foundation applauds the legislation’s data-driven approach to understanding and addressing childcare service gaps in the state, as well as its focus on supporting low-income families' access to infant and toddler care.

The foundation is eager to partner with legislators, advocates and businesses to eliminate barriers to employment for Black and Latine residents to ensure that all residents have an opportunity to participate in the workforce and ensure every family has access to quality affordable childcare.