District review of Birth-to-3 trends highlights growing eligibility and state preschool expansion plans

District administrators presented Birth-to-3 data showing a rise in the number of children eligible for early-intervention services and outlined how state preschool-expansion plans could affect local capacity.

The districts presentation covered a decade of data and compared local referrals, evaluations, eligibility, and served counts against Connecticut statewide trends. Presenters said the number of eligible children has increased while total births in the district have remained fairly consistent.

District staff noted the top diagnoses among children served statewide (prematurity, autism, congenital brain/spinal conditions, deafness/hard-of-hearing, and speech sound disorders) and said East Havens pattern resembles statewide distribution. Staff emphasized that rising eligibility increases demand for specialized providers, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, psychologists and social workers.

Presenters summarized a recent Office of Early Childhood projection that aims to expand preschool access across Connecticut, with multiple funding streams and new classroom slots proposed to narrow the statewide unmet need. The district representative said East Haven currently sits well below the statewide unmet-need line and that the states planned additions could increase local preschool access if funding is sustained.

Board members received the data presentation; staff said they will continue monitoring Birth-to-3 trends and coordinate with state initiatives to expand preschool capacity.