Care4Kids Update 

The Care4Kids program will close to new applicants on August 1. Currently, families who are under 30% of SMI are able to apply through the month of July. If you know of families who should be applying for Care4Kids, encourage them to do so before August 1. Even if they're in the 30-50% SMI range, it should help establish a waiting list.  

Alliance Executive Director Merrill Gay was a guest this morning on the WICC "Coffee Break Chat," giving a Care4Kids update. To listen, click HERE.  

REMINDER: Commissioner Jones-Taylor MeetingTuesday Night 

The meeting that was cancelled in June in New Haven with CT Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Myra Jones-Taylor has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 19, at 6:30 p.m.For more information, click HERE. The agenda can be found HERE. 

CT Commission on Women, Children and Seniors Begins Operation  

The new commission officially began on July 1, 2016, under the leadership of Steven Hernandez. The commission was formed through the consolidation of three of the six former commissions - Commission on Children, Commission on Aging, and Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. The legislative priorities concerning children include:  

• Empower families and community leaders to be change agents on behalf of children;
• Remove the economic and academic obstacles that prevent children and their families from reaching their full potential; and
• Promote the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of children. 

The commission can be found online at www.ctcwcs.com or on Facebook at "Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors." Their physical address is 18-20 Trinity Street in Hartford, phone number is 860-240-1475 and email is [email protected]. 

Parenting Matters Webinar Planned 

Join your colleagues for the release of the report Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of Children Ages 0-8 from the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This webinar briefing, scheduled forWednesday, July 20, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (EST), will feature members of the study committee that authored the report who will discuss the report’s conclusions and recommendations.  

The committee of experts was assembled to conduct a consensus study to examine the state of the science with respect to parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices that support positive parent-child interactions and healthy development of children ages 0-8; strategies for supporting parents and helping them engage in parenting practices associated with healthy child development; barriers and facilitators to strengthening parenting capacity and parents’ participation in effective programs and services; and gaps in research on parenting. The report is intended to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting and family support policies, practices, and research in the United States.

To register, click HERE. 

Celebrating Kathy Queen at Annual Family Picnic 

Please join the Wallingford Community Day Care Center at its annual family picnic onWednesday, August 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., as they honor Kathy Queen for her years of dedicated service to the center. Please RSVP at [email protected] or by calling 203-294-4176. For more information, click HERE.

Send Us Your Children's Oral Health News! 

The Alliance will be including information regarding children's oral health in upcoming updates. Do you know of an interesting study, article or other information that should be shared with our community? Please email Jessica Ciparelli at [email protected] if you have something to share.