Session Wrap Up: No Budget Yet
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While a budget agreement was in place prior to the end of the legislative session on May 4, it was not voted on. The legislature is expected to return for a special session to pass the budget on Thursday, May 12. A small number of early childhood bills did pass before the end of the legislative session. ClickHERE to see what early childhood bills passed.
Seeking Stories Regarding HUSKY Termination
The New Haven Legal Assistance Association is looking for stories about people cut off of Medicaid at redetermination/renewal. See the flier for more information or to pass the word along.
Middlesex Coalition for Children Meeting
CT Early Childhood Alliance Executive Director Merrill Gay will be a guest at the May meeting, to wrap-up the 2016 legislative session. The second half will be a presentation from our Wesleyan Community Research Seminar on the Elementary Education Opportunity Gap. The meeting is Thursday, May 12, at 9 a.m. at deKoven House in Middletown.
Children of Incarcerated Parents Roundtable Scheduled for May 26
On May 26, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Capitol Room 310, CT Association for Human Services (CAHS) and Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) will host a roundtable discussion on a state-specific report that will be released that day. The state report is complimentary to a report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT policy report, A Shared Sentence: The Devastating Toll of Parental Incarceration on Kids, Families and Communities. Although every child, and each parent-child relationship, is different, having a parent in jail or prison can be traumatic and result in long-term negative outcomes. To RSVP, click HERE.
New Report Details the Toll Lack of Child Care Has on Families
Judy Warner, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), released a report on Friday. In a story that was featured in Glamour Magazine, parents, childcare providers, and researchers shed light on the toll that the lack of access to high-quality, affordable child care and early ed has on families. To read the report, click HERE.
Teacher Appreciation Should Include Worthy Wages for Early Childhood Teachers
In an article penned by Marcy Whitebook and Lea J.E. Austin of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, the two discuss paying early educators enough to care for their own families. According to the most recent, comprehensive national study, the median wage for an early educator with a bachelor’s degree or higher working in center-based programs was just $13.50 per hour. To read the article, click HERE.
CHDI Issues New Impact Brief
The IMPACT - Connecting Social and Emotional Health and Literacy: Critical for Early School Success - looks at ways to improve school readiness with strategies that link supports in early childhood for literacy and social-emotional development skills. It seeks to elevate awareness of the connections between these essential competencies and accelerate actions by states and communities to advance children's readiness for school and successful educational achievement.
The New Dad: The Portrait of Today's Father
The report "The New Dad: A Portrait of Today’s Father," by the Center for Work and Family at Boston College, will be the topic of a talk on May 17, from 2-3:30 p.m. at Yale University's Rosenfeld Hall, 109 Grover Street (easy on-street metered parking). No charge, but RSVP is strongly recommended - please email [email protected]. If you have questions, please, email [email protected] or call 203-432-8069.
Urban Institute Releases Brief to Improve Outcomes for Young Men and Boys of Color
A new brief by the Urban Institute notes that boys and young men of color, on average, lag behind their peers on preschool skills by age 2 and never catch up academically. The brief discusses how to change that pattern. To succeed, the brief notes, boys of color, like all children, need rich early-childhood interactions with parents and other caregivers, skilled and adaptive elementary school teachers, wise school administrators, supportive peers, and engaged policymakers. To read the full brief, click HERE.
ECCS Community Discussions Planned
The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, United Way of Connecticut, and ECCS Advisory Committee have announced the scheduling of four Community Discussions around the state. The discussion is the culmination of the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) 3-year planning grant’s efforts and continued work. The four sessions begin on May 9 and end on May 13. For more information, click HERE.
Addressing Equality and Racism: ZERO TO THREE Virtual Seminar
On May 12, from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., ZERO TO THREE Journal will host a virtual seminar author spotlight, featuring Wendy Harris, an early intervention co-manager with the King County (Washington) Department of Community and Human Services. Ms. Harris will share strategies and lessons learned in creating a training initiative for staff which addresses equity and racism at individual, organizational, and systemic levels. Her 30-minute presentation will be followed by a 15-minute online Q & A session. Even if you can't participate on May 12, you are encouraged to register anyway, as you will have access to the seminar for 30 days. The cost is $15 and all registrants will receive a complimentary download of Wendy Harris’ Journal article, “Building Equity in the Birth-to-3 System: Who Is in the Room?” published in the March 2016 issue.
Chronic Absence Webinar
On May 17, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Attendance Works Attendance Awareness Campaign will host a webinar that will focus on how state and local innovators are using chronic absence analyses to galvanize action to reduce chronic absence. Attendance Works will preview upgrades to its free District and School Attendance Tracking Tools. Register for this webinar HERE.