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.

Access Health CT Open Enrollment EXTENDED into 2020

Access Health CT has extended its open enrollment to January 15, 2020. Coverage purchased between now and January 15, 2020, will begin on February 1, 2020. Subsidies through the Affordable Care Act are only available for plans purchased through Access Health CT. You can enroll online, by phone or in person. Click HERE for more information on how and where you can register. NOTE: You can apply for Medicaid/HUSKY at any time; you don't have to wait for an open enrollment period.

2020 Census Will Be Topic of MCC Meeting

Middlesex Coalition for Children will be discussing the upcoming US Census at its next meeting. The next meeting isThursday, January 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., at the deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, will focus on the 2020 Census and the risk of an undercount and what it means for the state. The guest speaker will be Michael Sullivan, Research and Policy Fellow from CT Voices for Children. CT Voices for Children recently issued a report on the risks and consequences of an undercount in Connecticut during the 2020 Census. Young children are the most likely age group to be undercounted. Data collected from the Census helps allocate more than $10.7 billion in federal funding for programs and services important to children and their families, including education, health, transportation, housing, and more.   

Census Featured on "Where We Live"

Over the next few months, you will see the CT Early Childhood Alliance focusing time and resources to the 2020 Census, thanks to a grant from Viking Global. The Census is conducted every 10 years and it is very important that an accurate count of every person living in the United States is reached. The results of the Census determine things such as Congressional representation, federal funding for education, transportation, health, and more. One of the most undercounted groups is children under the age of 5. Parents are often unsure if they should count children, especially if they're splitting their time between multiple households, and who should count them under their roof.

January 6, NPR's "Where We Live" discussed frequently asked questions regarding the Census, and how an undercount can impact the State of Connecticut. Among the guests: Jay Williams of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, and Joan Cruz of the Hispanic Health Council. To listen to the full segment, click HERE. 

Support for the Alliance comes from of our members and our funders: Alliance for Early Success, Children's Fund of Connecticut, Connecticut Community Foundation, CT Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, a project of CT Council of Philanthropy; Community Foundation of Greater New Britain; Community Foundation for Greater New Haven; Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; and the Partnership for America's Children.