Care4Kids Enrollment is Open - Register Now!

Just a reminder that if you haven't enrolled in the Care4Kids program, now is the time to do so - the wait list is clear, so the application process goes relatively quick, once eligibility is established. Visit http://www.ctcare4kids.com/ or call 1-888-214-KIDS (5437).

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

The month of April is a time to raise awareness of child abuse. Child abuse comes in many forms - it's not just physically laying hands on a child. It can be constant verbal abuse. It can be inappropriate touching and sexual abuse. We know that children are inquisitive and they may have questions. Prevent Child Abuse America is offering weekly parenting tips on the subject. The current topic is "Answering Questions from Children About Abuse and Neglect." If you need help answering children's questions, click HERE.  On Thursday, April 12, the Alliance, along with organizations across Hartford, will wear blue and in some cases, plant pinwheel gardens, to raise awareness of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Along with the April awareness, a new study has come out that shows the Parents As Teachers (PAT) evidence-based home-visiting model has demonstrated a significant decrease in child maltreatment when home-visiting services are delivered through scaled-up, statewide home visiting program. To read the study, click HERE.

BECC, HCC to Host Screenings of "Resilience"

If you missed the chance at the Childhood Conversations/Together We Will Conference to screen "Resilience," there are two upcoming options available to you. The Branford Early Childhood Collaborative and Housatonic Community College will be showing the hour-long documentary by James Redford and Karen Pritzker, that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Toxic stress can trigger hormones that wreak havoc on the brain and bodies of children, putting them at greater risk for disease, homelessness, incarceration, even early death. Extremely stressful experiences in childhood can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behavior. However, as experts and practitioners profiled in RESILIENCE are proving, what’s predictable is preventable, and together we can help the next generation break the cycles of adversity and disease.

Housatonic Community College will screen the film during Week of the Young Child on Tuesday, April 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at HCC's Beacon Hall. Pre-registration/RSVP is not required. Housatonic Community College is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport. There is a free parking garage attached to the campus.

In Branford, seating to the screening is limited, so please contact BECC at 203-415-5237 or email [email protected] to reserve your space. The film screening and a community conversation will take place Tuesday, April 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Branford Fire Department.

The film is suitable for a wide audience, including teachers, caregivers, social workers, police and fire officials, public health workers, and parents.To view the documentary trailer, click HERE. 

Week of the Young Child, April 16-20

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and families. This year's celebration runs from April 16-20. Are you planning to celebrate? Let us know what your plans are - email Jessica at [email protected]. Thank you to everyone who has sent their WOYC info our way! If you're planning an event & would like to share photos with us, please feel free to email to Jessica. We wish we could travel the state to document all the events, it's just not possible!

IForum Planned on Family Homelessness

On Monday, April 23, please consider joining the Partnership for Strong Communities for its fourth IForum of the 2018 series, "Ending Family Homelessness: A Focus on the Entire Family." Registration and a light breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street, Hartford. The forum will run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Click HERE to register.

Speakers will:

• Share national best practices for ending family homelessness
  
• Explore innovative ways by which systems (housing, child welfare, mental health, and early child care/education) can work together to create cross system collaboration to improve the overall well-being, health, education and economic stability of both parents and children
  
• Present recommendations on how to meet the needs of parenting young adults
  
• Highlight progress to date towards ending family homelessness in Connecticut

Middlesex Coalition for Children Meeting

The Children's Budget and Race and Equity in Education will be topics of the next Middlesex Coalition for Children's monthly meeting, April 12, 9 a.m., deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown. Ellen Shemitz and Camara Stokes Hudson of Connecticut Voices for Children will present data on the state economy and the state of Connecticut's children.

CT-AIMH 2018 Spring Meeting and Seminar

Thursday, May 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the CT Association for Infant Mental Health (CT-AIMH) will host its spring meeting and seminar at Woodwinds in Branford. Breakfast is included and the event theme is: "Infant Mental Health: Early Relationships in the Context of Communities, Culture and Families, with a Focus on Implicit Bias." The keynote presenter is Dr. Walter Gilliam. To register, click HERE.

Support for the Alliance comes from of our members and our funders: The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Connecticut Health Foundation, Connecticut Community Foundation, Children's Fund of Connecticut, CT Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, a project of CT Council of Philanthropy; The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut; Community Foundation of Greater New Britain; Community Foundation of Greater New Haven; and The Fund for Greater Hartford.