Early Childhood Collaborative
Bristol Early Childhood Collaborative (BECC), formerly Bristol School Readiness
Mission: To be finalized in the fall of 2025
Vision:To be finalized in the fall of 2025
For upcoming meetings, please visit the City of Bristol website or contact Donna at donnaosuch@bristolct.gov.
One of BECC’s top priorities is to help parents/guardians prepare their children for the transition into Kindergarten. Additionally, BECC believes that registering for Kindergarten “on time” sets children up for a strong start in school. Our collaborative is here to share helpful information—like what skills are good to practice at home, what to expect in Kindergarten, and how to register your child —so families feel confident and prepared when the first day of school arrives. Visit our Preparing for Preschool/Kindergarten Page!
History of the Bristol Early Childhood Collaborative:
In 1997, CT established the School Readiness (SR) program, aimed to enhance early childhood education opportunities for 3- and 4-year-old children, especially those in high need communities. CT Public ACT 97-259 authorized grants to municipalities and school districts to provide high quality care and early education. Each community receiving SR funds was required to have a School Readiness Council to oversee implementation of the SR program.
A major CT funder, the William Casper Memorial Fund (WCGMF), introduced the Discovery Initiative to improve the lives of young children in CT from birth through age 8. From 2001 to 2009, WCGMF provided significant funding to the Bristol community through the Bristol Early Childhood Alliance (BECA) collaborative. Additional funding was provided to BECA and for a short time, the CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC) provided funding to the collaborative, with the CT Children’s Collective serving as the intermediary until June of 2025.
Both the Bristol School Readiness Council and the Bristol Early Childhood Alliance worked in partnership, sharing resources, information and committees while also complying with grant requirements from both the OEC, WCGMF and later the CT Children’s Collective.
In 2024, the Bristol School Readiness Council and the Bristol Early Childhood Alliance voted to merge the two groups and became the Bristol Early Childhood Collaborative (BECC) on July 1, 2025, to align with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood’s Early Start CT program.
About Early Start CT:
The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) was established in 2014, consolidating various early childhood programs under one agency, and as of July 1, 2025, provides funding to Bristol through Early Start CT, a state funded early care and education program. The goal of Early Start CT is to:
empower families to amplify their parent voices to better meet the needs of Connecticut children
strengthen system collaboration and a shared vision to build lasting partnerships between community stakeholders
improve equitable access to affordable high-quality care and early childhood services and support that meet a range of family needs
promote best practices to enhance providers' ability to support children’s learning and development.
The Bristol Early Childhood Collaborative (BECC) is a Local Governance Partner (LGP) under the Office of Early Childhood Early Start CT program. SHINE Early Learning is the intermediary for the Office of Early Childhood (OEC). Shine id the link between the OEC and BECC, providing critical support for family engagement, Parent Ambassadors, local early childhood providers and LGP members.
Contact Donna Osuch, BECC Liaison for more information donnaosuch@bristolct.gov