Report reviews early education workers

Hartford, Conn. (AP) - A new report on the skills and experience of Connecticut's early childhood education workers and caregivers is coming out.

Connecticut legislators and education advocates say it includes demographic information such as providers' average age, education level, ethnicity and years of experience.

Lawmakers hope to compare it against national figures as they discuss ways to improve early education and caregiving programs for Connecticut's pre-kindergarten children.

A group of legislators and education officials will present the findings Tuesday.

About 42,000 children are born in Connecticut each year, and education officials say early childhood programs are critical in the years before kindergarten.

They say young children who are unprepared for school often struggle to catch up, creating a gap that can widen over the years without help.