Care4Kids Update
Thank you to everyone who has made calls to their House and Senate members, as well as to the Governor's Office. We have received feedback from a number of people who were told by the Governor's Office that there was nothing they could do and the budget wasn't going to be reopened. It can feel defeating, but the calls really are important. Outreach shows that this is an important issue to state residents. Some feedback we've received has been about positive responses from legislators and we continue to plan meetings across the state to facilitate discussion with parents, providers, legislators and advocates.
Upcoming Care4Kids legislative meetings are scheduled for:
- Wednesday, June 22, 5:30 p.m., at St. Paul's Child Development Center, 1475 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport. Please RSVP to [email protected]
- Monday, June 27, 5:30 p.m., Silva's Youth of Today Childcare Learning Center, 656 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT
- Tuesday, June 28, 10 a.m., at Sleeping Giant Day Care, 11 Pine Street, Hamden
- Tuesday, June 28, 5:30 p.m., South Norwalk Community Center, 98 South Main Street, Norwalk
- Thursday, June 30, 5:30 p.m., YWCA, 19 Franklin Square, New Britain
CT Voices for Children penned an Op-Ed to the Hartford Courant regarding the Care4Kids changes.
We urge you to sign the CT Early Childhood Alliance's petition, as we call on our U.S. Senators and members of Congress to increase federal appropriations for CCDBG to cover the costs required by the 2014 reauthorization. Please share it with your friends and family and ask them to sign it, too.
We have created a section on our website that includes the petition and our position statement. It can be found HERE. We invite organizations to sign onto the position statement. Please contact us if you would like to be included.
CT Health Foundation Supports Work on Oral Health Policy
The CT Early Childhood Alliance is pleased to announce we have been awarded a grant from the CT Health Foundation to work on oral health policy, so you'll see more information here in the weekly memos about the importance of oral health as it relates to young children, challenges and opportunities, and actions you can take on this important issue. Is oral health an issue you are passionate about? Do you work with children and families with oral health in your program? Let us know, we'd like to work with you.
Zika: What Child Care Providers Need to Know
Child Care Aware® of America is holding a special webinar on Wednesday, June 22 at 4 p.m., on the Zika virus. The webinar will be presented by experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Children's Health Team, and Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force. This webinar will include the most up-to-date information from the CDC, including:
- The basics of the Zika virus (how its spread, signs and symptoms, risk factors)
- The role of child care providers in prevention (mosquito control and repellent guidelines)
- Recommendations for pregnant mothers and parents considering pregnancy
Webinar details: June 22, 4 p.m. EDT from your computer. Webinar will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Please register HERE.
Children With Incarcerated Parents Follow-Up Webinar Planned
The webinar will take place July 7 from 2-3 p.m. Register HERE.