Oral Health

In its fifth story of the year, the Alliance turned to our partners at CAHS to help highlight the KidsCount Databook, which had just been released. While overall, the state score improved, the recession has still hit state children hard.

The CT Post reported that despite being one of the best states for kids, Connecticut and its children were hit hard by the economic downturn., based on the KidsCount Databook. The CT Post interviewed Jude Carroll of CAHS and Barbara Edinberg of the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition (BCAC). BCAC is a member of the Alliance.

The New Haven Register, through a news service, published a story on the CAHS KidsCount Databook release. The report is officially released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, with CAHS as Connecticut's primary contact.

On August 17 (and a few days following), some of the state's Patch.com websites picked up on the release of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KidsCount Databook, of which CT Association for Human Services is the state contact.

The Framework emphasizes the critical importance of linkages across the sectors and identifies care coordination, both within the child health services ector and across sectors, as the integrative component to a successful system.

The 2011 KidsCount Databook places Connecticut sixth in the nation in terms of child health and well-being, but there is no doubt the recession is hitting state families hard. Below you will find how Connecticut fared on the major indicators used to determine state standings. The link to the report itself is attached as a link.

Alliance member CT Voices for Children released a report on a shocking number of babies getting dropped from the HUSKY A (Medicaid) program when they reach their first birthday. DSS says it's working to fix the problem. CT Mirror reports on the story May 13.

Parents who have young children under the age of one are finding the children, once they reach their first birthday, are being denied coverage through HUSKY A (Medicaid). A report by CT Voices for Children offers recommendations to the Department of Social Services to address the problem -- more than 40% were not enrolled in the program in the month following their first birthday.

Every child deserves to grow up in a family. But for some children who are removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse, there aren't enough foster homes to go around. CT Voices for Children explores the recent drop in foster home care over the past few years.

Alliance member CT Voices for Children recently issued a report, "Increasing Retention for Connecticut Foster Families," which found that instead of adding foster families, the number of foster families in Connecticut have dropped over the past two years. CT Mirror reported on May 10.