State Rep. Kate Farrar, a West Hartford resident, has been r[resented with the Children’s Champion Award by the CT Early Childhood Alliance.

Submitted

The CT Early Childhood Alliance recently presented state Rep. Kate Farrar (D-West Hartford/Newington) with the Children’s Champion Award at the Southfield Children’s Center in Newington. This award was in recognition of Rep. Farrar’s leadership in the creation and passage of state legislation that establishes a transformative investment in child care to support families, educators and businesses.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized by the CT Early Childhood Alliance with the Children’s Champion Award,” said Farrar. “This recognition means so much to come from an organization leading the way on child care for over 20 years that is driven by the knowledge and experiences of child care providers. I will keep working hard to ensure that every child and family across Connecticut has access to high-quality and affordable early care and education.”

During the 2025 legislative session, Farrar led House passage of SB 1 and HB 5003, two bills which established a new Early Childhood Education Endowment that will lower costs for families, raise pay and increase access to benefits for educators as well as update current and create new child care facilities. Starting in 2027, families who earn less than $100,000 per year will receive free child care and families earning more than $100,000 will pay no more than 7% of household income for child care in state-funded spaces. Also starting in 2027, early childhood educators at state-funded providers will start to be paid on par with K-12 teachers boosting the child care workforce and creating a much-needed increase in child care availability across the state. Families can also look forward to the development of a new online portal to easily find and access child care

“Representative Farrar’s leadership in the creation of and negotiations around these bills were instrumental in their passage. Specifically, I want to recognize Representative Farrar for her tenacity to include a $10 million program to subsidize health coverage for early educators whether they work with children in a center or in a family child care home. Our members see Representative Farrar as a steadfast supporter of young children and the early childhood field, and we are thrilled to present her with this award,” said Merrill Gay, Executive Director of the CT Early Childhood Alliance.

CT Early Childhood Alliance is a membership organization of over 80 businesses, non-profits, research organizations, and more, whose mission is to improve outcomes for young children and their families and caregivers in the areas of education, health, and economic security.