ATTENTION! Due to the forecast on Thursday, February 6, we have rescheduled the CT Early Childhood Alliance U.S. Census-related meeting to Wednesday, February 12, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at AFSCME Council 4, 444 East Main Street, New Britain.

We hope you can attend on February 12, and bring people from your community who you think should be involved in ensuring that all kids are counted in the 2020 U.S. Census. Please invite them to attend with you, in order to work collaboratively. The link to forward to anyone interested in attending is below.

In 2010, 1 in 10 children under the age of 5 were NOT COUNTED nationwide. And oftentimes, these kids are in hard-to-count areas of the country or the state. We have to COUNT ALL KIDS - and we need your help to do it!

LOCATION: Wednesday, February 12, 2020, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at AFSCME Council 4, 444 East Main Street, New Britain. Free parking available.

Please bring your laptop or tablet if you have one, in order to follow along with the ROAM Interactive Mapping Tool.

Space will be limited by the size of the room, so we ask that you please RSVP for yourself and anyone you plan to bring with you.

RSVP HERE

The steering committee will meet following the regular meeting.

CTECA, CAHS Focus on Counting All Kids in Census

The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance and CT Association for Human Services are pleased to announce a substantial grant from Viking Global, to prepare for the 2020 Census. Now, you may be asking why focus on the 2020 Census? It’s important for our future – for our children’s futures.

For the next few months (yes…it’s coming up VERY soon), the Alliance and CAHS will be focusing on an awareness campaign, particularly around the under age 5 population, which includes social media, kickoff events with child care centers, materials to distribute, etc. It’s important to engage with “trusted messengers,” such as child care providers, doctors, and faith-based leaders, for families to understand participating in the Census is safe. There will be no question regarding citizenship (struck down by the courts and NOT included on the Census form). The goal of the Census is an accurate count of ALL people living in the United States – regardless of age or status.

According to the US Census Bureau, an estimated 5% of children under the age of five weren’t counted in the 2010 Census. That’s about 1 million young children, the highest of any age group. In Connecticut, that number was about 3.3%, and children ages 5-9 were 2.5%. The gaps need to close. Undercounts can have negative impacts on federal funding for programs like SNAP, grants for special education, school lunch programs and Head Start. According to CT Voices for Children, in Fiscal Year 2016, Connecticut received over $10.7 billion through 55 large federal spending programs.

The undercount of children is getting worse – it was four times higher in 2010 than it was in 1980. Reasons for not counting young children vary. Some parents might be confused as to whether to include their children. Some believe the government already has that information available. Some live in large or complex households; some live with grandparents, aunts, or uncles and the adults don’t know if they should count them. Children who have divorced parents might be splitting their time between two homes and neither parent knows who should count the child (in this case, it should be the parent who has the child physically with them on April 1).

Watch for more information in the weeks that follow. We need to make sure we "Count All Kids!"

Connecticut Secures Federal Grant

Late last year, big news came out of the Governor's Office, regarding early childhood. The state received a $26.8 million federal grant to help further child development goals. The Office of Early Childhood will be administering the federal Preschool Development Birth Through Five Renewal Grant. 

The grant will strengthen the Birth to Five system by supporting a collaboration between eight state agencies to create efficiencies in services, focus on customer service, innovate strategies, and expand public-private partnerships. In the area of data and outcomes, the grant will redesign OEC’s Early Childhood Information System (ECIS), invest in a Quality Improvement System (QIS), establish a performance and accountability process, and improve contracting procurement.

To read the full press release, click HERE.