This program ended June 30, 2025 and has been replaced with Early Start CT. We only provide this information for reference.
The Child Day Care (CDC) Contracts program provided funding to develop and operate child care programs to serve infants, toddlers, preschool and school age children throughout Connecticut who were disadvantaged by reasons of economic, social or environmental conditions. It was established in Section 8-210 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Reporting requirements
All Child Day Care programs were required to submit reports and forms to OEC to support contract compliance and program monitoring. Data Submission and Reporting Requirements are detailed in OEC General Policy A-03.
Annual Forms
Annual Forms were sent via email to CDC contractors to be completed through a Qualtrics survey. Forms that contractors needed to resubmit during the year due to program changes were emailed to OEC Co-Program Managers.
ECE Reporter
CDC programs were required to enter (or upload) child enrollment data and submit monthly reports via Early Care and Education (ECE) Reporter. CDC contractors with one or more subcontractors had to review and approve all reports monthly and were responsible for monitoring the accuracy of the data submitted.
Early Childhood Professional Registry (“The Registry”)
All CDC programs must were required to have an account in The Registry and remain compliant for accuracy of this account on a monthly basis. OEC General Policy A-03 details the requirements that program administrators and program staff had to meet regarding The Registry.
Family eligibility and fee determination
CDC programs had to ensure families met eligibility requirements, and applied the appropriate family fees as determined by the OEC Fee Schedule.
- OEC General Policy B-02 – Fee Guidance
- OEC General Policy B-03 – Enrollment & Attendance
- OEC General Policy B-04 – Space Types, Categories of Care & Eligibility
- Family Fee webinar – Fall 2022
- Family Fee calculator
General Policies
OEC General Policies detailed requirements and guidelines for Early Start CT and Smart Start state funded early care and education programs.