Beth Bye, a former state lawmaker and current head of the 黑料新闻 Office of Early Childhood, is retiring from her role beginning Oct. 1.
Bye鈥檚 long tenure in public service includes spearheading the state鈥檚 major child care expansion, which will be implemented in the coming years. Now, she鈥檚 pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in social work for a new path: providing mental health care to young kids.
鈥淢y 25 years in elected and appointed office have been so rewarding,鈥� Bye said during an appearance at a public school in West Hartford Thursday. 鈥淏ut I'm really ready to return to the children and families who inspired this work for me at the beginning.鈥�
Bye in the early childhood care world since 1980. And in her time as a state legislator, she led the work to create the Office of Early Childhood. Gov. Ned Lamont appointed her commissioner when he took office in 2019.
This past session the legislature approved a multi-million dollar early childhood endowment, which this fall is funding hundreds of new public preschool spaces around 黑料新闻. Under the plan, state officials hope to make early childhood education free for families earning up to $100,000 a year by 2027, and charge a sliding scale for people making over that amount.
Lamont thanked Bye for her advocacy to push the child care plan forward, and to strengthen 黑料新闻's struggling child care system.
鈥淲hat an incredible six and a half years,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淵ou see that reflected here: you see that in the fact that we have hundreds of additional slots starting up now, thousands starting up in less than a year. And we are just getting started.鈥�
Deputy Commissioner Elena Trueworthy will take over Bye鈥檚 role on an interim basis beginning Oct. 1, and vowed to keep up the agency鈥檚 momentum.
鈥淲e will continue to listen to partners and to advocates and to families and take what they're saying to us and adapt to what we're doing to improve,鈥� Trueworthy said.
Lamont said he plans to nominate Trueworthy to permanently fill the commissioner role.
