SB 266 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT LIMITING THE ACCESS OF PRIVATE EQUITY TO FUNDS FROM THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ENDOWMENT.

SB 266 prioritizes funding from Connecticut's Early Childhood Education Endowment for non-private equity child care and preschool programs. It requires the Commissioner to first fund all eligible programs meeting specific criteria (like receiving Early Start CT funding or participating in quality improvement systems), before allocating funds to programs owned or controlled by private equity companies. Private equity programs are defined as non-publicly traded investment firms owning or controlling child care services. This change takes effect July 1, 2026, ensuring taxpayer-funded early education resources support community-based providers over for-profit private equity entities.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 19, 2026 Last action May 1, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → KID Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Joint Favorable Substitute,' indicating it has been amended to gain support from both legislative chambers. The most significant substantive change redefines the term 'private equity company' to 'private equity entity' and broadens the definition to include any company that collects capital investments and purchases ownership shares in early care programs, rather than limiting it to specific asset classes or non-publicly traded companies. This expansion ensures that a wider range of investors are subject to the funding restrictions.

Scope change

The scope of the funding restriction was expanded to cover a broader definition of private equity investors, including publicly traded companies and those that simply purchase ownership shares in the sector.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'private equity company' was changed to 'private equity entity' and expanded to include any company that collects capital investments and purchases ownership shares in early care and education programs, regardless of whether it is publicly traded.

ELIGIBILITY

The eligibility criteria for receiving Early Childhood Education Endowment funds were tightened to exclude programs owned or controlled by the newly defined 'private equity entity' until other programs are fully funded.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated from 'Raised Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' and the committee reference was changed from 'Committee on Children' to 'KID Joint Favorable Subst.', reflecting the legislative process status.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 30, 2026

How they voted

24–12

Passed

Total votes 36

Apr 30, 2026

D Democratic25

24 Yea 1 Nay

96% Yea

R Republican11

11 Nay

100% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

SEN. PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

upper

Apr 30, 2026

Amended

SEN. REJ. SEN. AMEND. SCH. B

upper

Apr 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

SEN. ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

upper

Mar 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Committee on Children

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors