Kaitlyn Shake

🏳️‍🌈June is Pride Month across our nation and here in Stratford!

Let’s celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reaffirm our commitment to equality, dignity, and opportunity for all. During the 2026 legislative session, we strengthened protections against hate crimes and expanded access to fertility care for LGBTQ+ couples and individuals. While other states have moved backward, Connecticut continues to protect access to care, defend against discrimination, and ensure that everyone can live, love, work, and raise a family with the freedom and respect they deserve. 

We know families across the state struggle with the cost and growing need for quality early childhood education. Here in Connecticut, we are making a historic investment of $620 million dollars thanks to Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment Fund over the last two years. This is the largest expansion of early childhood education services in the state’s history!
 

Families deserve to have access to affordable early childhood care, without having to wait for months to be accepted. Early childhood educators need access to adequate resources and funding to keep programs running and educators employed.
 

The Early Childhood Education Endowment has already begun making a difference in the lives of families and early childhood educators. Through the endowment, we added additional spaces in the Early Start Program for 1000 children to expand affordable early learning opportunities for more families, and we increased funding opportunities for providers to aid operational costs and staff compensation. 
 

On Monday, we were honored to host Governor Lamont, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, and the tri-chairs of the Early Childhood Education Endowment, Office of Early Childhood Education Commissioner Elena Trueworthy, State Senator Ceci Maher, and State Representative Kate Farrar at Honey Bear Learning Center to celebrate Connecticut’s historical investment in early childhood education. Here in Stratford, I am beyond grateful for the work of the Early Childhood Collaborative of Stratford alongside all our childcare centers, SUMC Preschool, Honey Bear Learning Center, Helen King Reynolds Preschool, Victoria Soto Preschool, Stratford Parents Place, Stratford YMCA, Sterling Community Center, and the Town of Stratford. 

This Tuesday, I joined the AI Caucus and Governor Lamont for the Senate Bill 5 bill signing. I was a proud co-sponsor of SB 5: An Act Concerning Online Safety, AKA the C.A.R.T. Act. AI is already affecting our economy, workplaces, online platforms, and the information Connecticut residents encounter every day. SB 5 responds to the new reality of AI through targeted protections, transparency for consumers, and system accountability.

The C.A.R.T. Act creates clear standards for powerful AI systems, while preparing Connecticut’s residents, workers, students, small businesses, public agencies, and institutions for the AI-driven world we are living in now and in the future. 
 
Thanks to the forward-thinking leadership of our A.I. caucus co-chairs Senator James Maroney, Rep. Hubert Delany, and fellow A.I. caucus members, Rep. Turco and Rep. Lemar, this legislation targets areas where AI is making a meaningful impact to protect CT residents’ lives, including employment-related automated decision tools, consumer disclosures, synthetic media provenance, youth online safety, and workforce preparation.
 
AI systems are already impacting Connecticut residents. It is our state’s responsibility to take action to set clear expectations to keep residents of all ages, but especially our children, protected from harmful AI practices. I’m extremely proud of Connecticut today and thankful for my colleagues leading the way as we navigate the ever-changing A.I. world.