A new study examining the health and well-being of preschoolers in Connecticut shows that the state's well-worn chasm between the haves and the have-nots runs deep, even among very young children.

"We're still leaving behind lots of kids," said Susan B. Wilson, a researcher with the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut.

Details of the study are to be outlined today at a conference for school, municipal and social service leaders at the Radisson Hotel in Cromwell.

The report, entitled "Keeping Children on the Path to School Success," specifically examines the health and well-being of Connecticut children under the age of 6. While similar studies have been done nationally, this is the first to zoom in on very young children, Wilson said.

"It presents some urgency," said Wilson, director of the research project that was funded by several private foundations. "This is a time when they're vulnerable. They also have great potential, and you can also prevent damage if you start early."

The report pulls together information once cloistered in the computers of many different state agencies to present a clear portrait of young children that state, school and municipal leaders can use to develop programs that encourage school readiness.

For example, Wilson said, the report reveals that 1,600 children in state foster homes are under 6. With that knowledge, the state Department of Social Services could start working with early intervention programs, such as Birth-to-3, to ensure that foster children develop adequate language skills.

"They cannot wait until they have permanent homes for those services to begin," Wilson said.

Many of the findings mirror those of past report cards on children's health in Connecticut. There are large gaps between suburban and urban children on many health and welfare measures, including infant mortality, low birth weight, and the availability of quality child care.

And there are high notes: Connecticut continues to do a good job immunizing a majority of its young children, and the number of babies born to teen mothers is dropping.

But gaps largely between white suburbanites and black and Hispanic city dwellers persist, requiring a more regional approach to health, welfare and early childhood education, Wilson said.

"Poverty is huge as a predictor of problems," Wilson said. "We need to do a better job reaching those kids."

The full report, including town-by-town data, is available on the web at http://chdi.org/.