CERCLE

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared, encouraged, and showed up for CERCLE during . Because of this incredible community, we can continue supporting children, families, educators, and child care providers across Connecticut.
Every gift mattered. Every share mattered. Every person who believed in this work mattered.

Missed the giving window? There’s still time to support CERCLE through Monday, May 11 at 8:00 am at https://www.thegreatgive.org/organizations/cercle

We’re so grateful to be building this future together.

It’s the final day of The Great Give!

At CERCLE, we believe every child is entitled to high-quality early care and education, and that the educators and providers who make that possible deserve the support and financial stability to care for themselves and their own families.

If you believe in strong starts for EVERY child, we invite you to stand with us. The educators shaping our youngest learners, and the systems that support them, need us right now: https://www.thegreatgive.org/organizations/cercle

The Great Give kicks off today and we need your support to improve educational outcomes for Black and Latino children in Greater New Haven.

That starts with the educators and child care providers who shape children’s earliest experiences and the systems that support them.

This is a critical moment for early childhood. With new investments on the table, and real challenges still ahead, what we do now matters. We can’t afford to drop the ball.

Help us support what comes next! https://www.thegreatgive.org/organizations/cercle

We had the pleasure of joining Hamden’s Family Childcare Night as one of their partners, showcasing who we are and how we support local providers.

From sharing resources to connecting with childcare entrepreneurs, we’re committed to helping providers grow sustainable, thriving businesses.

The earliest years are where opportunity begins—or doesn’t.

But strong early experiences don’t happen on their own. When educators and child care providers have the support and financial stability to do their best work, children get the high-quality care and learning experiences they deserve.

That’s why we:
➡️ Create pathways into early education through workforce development
➡️ Support providers with shared services so their programs can stay open and thrive
➡️ Advocate for more equitable early childhood systems

Early giving is open. Your support helps us grow this work before The Great Give even begins!

Donate to help build a better early care system for our children, educators, and families: https://www.thegreatgive.org/organizations/cercle

Even after last year’s historic investment, the reality for many Connecticut families hasn’t changed: they’re still waiting for child care they can afford and access.

As our Founder Georgia Goldburn shared at a Child Care for CT Press Conference last week: “It’s a workforce issue, and we are losing as a state by not enabling our people to work, be productive, and afford to live in Connecticut."

That reality shows up every day through CERCLE’s network. Providers doing everything they can to stay open and serve families, while parents are forced to delay work, reduce hours, or make impossible tradeoffs just to piece together care. As lawmakers consider a $70M fix to , this moment is about more than closing a gap—it’s about recognizing the people holding this system together and investing accordingly.

https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/03/26/after-300m-child-care-investment-in-2025-connecticut-families-still-waiting-as-lawmakers-push-70m-fix/

After $300M Child Care Investment in 2025, Connecticut Families Still Waiting As Lawmakers Push $70M Fix | CT News Ju**ie Lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday called for passage of Senate Bill 265, which would transfer $70 million from the state’s Federal Cuts Response Fund to the Office of Early Childhood before June 30, with most of the funding directed to the CT Care 4 Kids subsidy program.

🎙️ Now live: a new episode of Inside Voices!

Join host Georgia Goldburn in conversation with Representative Rosa DeLauro for a powerful, real-time look at the pressures families are facing and what it will take to build something better.

Child care costs are rising. Family budgets are tightening. And decisions made in Washington are showing up in households and classrooms every day.

Together, they unpack why child care must be treated as essential infrastructure, not an afterthought and what happens when families are left without affordable, high-quality options.

From the proven impact of the in reducing child poverty, to the role of programs like , , and support from the Connecticut Endowment, this conversation connects the dots between policy and people.

Looking ahead, Representative DeLauro outlines what’s possible: universal child care, paid family and medical leave, pay equity, and policies that truly support both families and the providers—especially Black and brown women—who hold this system together.

This is a conversation about affordability, dignity, and the future families deserve and a reminder that public voice and advocacy still matter.

📺 Watch on New Haven Independent’s YouTube channel
🎧 Available on all streaming platforms (www.ct-cercle.org/inside-voices-v2)

Inside Voices is your bi-weekly space for honest conversations about the child care system, racial equity, and building stronger communities. Share with someone who needs to hear this.

There are so many stories to tell about child care in Connecticut right now but one truth is clear:

The system is asking providers to sacrifice again.

At the Child Care for CT press conference at the Capitol, Georgia Goldburn, Founder of CERCLE and Executive Director of Hope For New Haven, spoke to what’s really at stake. It's not just policy, but people.

Child care providers, many of whom stayed open through COVID at great personal cost, are now facing impossible decisions as families lose access due to the Care4Kids waitlist.

This isn’t just about funding.

It’s about a promise.
A promise made to families.
A promise made to providers.
A promise that cannot be broken.

As Georgia shared during the press conference, "We have to stop asking providers to do the unconscionable."

We must protect access. We must support providers. We must keep that promise. We MUST fund

🎉 A first for Connecticut’s family child care community.

Scholastic Renaissance LLC, led by founder and director Norma Stennett, has become the first family child care program in Connecticut to receive Recognition from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Recognition status indicates that a program has demonstrated meaningful progress toward meeting NAEYC’s accreditation standards, which include benchmarks related to learning environments, curriculum, educator practices and family engagement. The milestone places Scholastic Renaissance LLC on a path towards full accreditation as an Early Start CT funded program.

As a member of the CERCLE Collab, Ms. Norma worked alongside partners and educators to strengthen her program while navigating the rigorous recognition process.

Congratulations to Ms. Norma and Scholastic Renaissance! This achievement highlights the essential role family child care providers play in supporting children, families, and communities across Connecticut.

CERCLE voices reshaped the conversation at the Capitol on February 24.

Testimony from providers pushed two major child care bills into serious consideration and brought real-world urgency to the hearing.

Shared voices shift outcomes. More to follow as the session moves forward.