The Connecticut Commission on Children

National survey finds child poverty on the rise, in CT and nationally

2011-08-17T17:09:00.001-04:00

The good news: The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 22nd-annual Kids Count data book ranks Connecticut sixth in the nation for overall child well-being. The bad news: We're heading in the wrong direction on several indicators, particularly child poverty, which rose 9 percent between 2000 and 2009. In Hartford, 39 percent of children are in poverty; in New Haven, 31 percent.

Bristol Press reports on the arrival of PLTI in Plymouth

2010-12-20T14:41:00.005-05:00

The Bristol Press has interviewed Commission Executive Director Elaine Zimmerman on the arrival in Plymouth of the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), the Commission's popular 20-week civics course.

"It’s a democracy school for families," Zimmerman said of PLTI. "It teaches parents how change occurs for children, so parents can use a kind of civic tool kit and participate in a very deep way to improve the health, safety and learning opportunities for children."

Donna Koser, outreach coordinator for the Plymouth Early Childhood Council, told the newspaper she's excited that her town is participating. "This is something we’ve been wanting to bring into Plymouth for a while, but funding wasn’t available," she said. The funding comes in the form of a $20,000 grant arranged through the Commission. Learn more about PLTI | Other PLTI sites

"Reading Readiness Begins Long Before Kindergarten"

2010-12-06T19:05:00.002-05:00

Here are the PowerPoint slides that Commission on Children Executive Director Elaine Zimmerman used last week for a Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) webinar on early reading success. It's got advice for parents, educators, librarians, pediatricians, and the rest of us.

The Commission website has lots more on reading.

Our latest newsletter

2010-11-30T19:33:00.001-05:00

http://www.cga.ct.gov/coc/newsletters/2010-11-29.htm

Our 2011 meeting schedule

2010-11-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

You'll find it here.

Two new board members

2010-10-18T09:06:00.002-04:00

The Commission on Children has two new members: Robert Francis, executive director of the Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), and Jordan E. Grossman, Ed.D., principal of the Canton Intermediate School in Canton. Their photos have been added to the Members page.

New TBI brochure

2010-10-15T14:52:00.002-04:00

To the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) page of our site (under Connecticut Resources) we've added a PDF version of the new brochure from the Connecticut Family Support Council, "Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Children with Disabilities and Children with Special Health Care Needs."

There's also a version in Spanish, "Lesión Cerebral Traumática (TBI por sus siglas en inglés) en los Niños con Discapacidad y Niños con Necesidades Especiales de Salud."

Pardon our appearance

2010-09-09T15:15:00.002-04:00

You'll notice that the Commission on Children website has a new look. We hope you like it and find it makes getting around easier. Unfortunately, some of the pages need to be adjusted to the new template -- hence they look slightly screwed up, though still readable. Please bear with us for the next few days while we clean things up. If you see any problems, especially broken links, drop a line to Kevin Flood.

SDE bullying report on our website

2010-04-20T17:33:00.002-04:00

We've posted on our website a 62-page state Department of Education report on anti-bullying efforts in Connecticut. SDE submitted the report in February to comply with Public Act 08-160.

'Emerging Issues for Children' roundtable on Tuesday, April 13

2010-04-06T17:54:00.001-04:00

The next meeting of the Commission on Children will feature a roundtable discussion by lawmakers and others on emerging issues like cyberbullying, the achievement gap, and health care reform. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 13, in Room 1-C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Download an agenda (PDF) | Directions

Add seven more towns to those seeking SNAP E&T dollars

2010-03-24T18:11:00.004-04:00

We've added seven central Connecticut towns to our map of communities that have applied for federal funding under the SNAP E&T program, which reimburses 50 cents for every dollar spent on services that provide food stamp recipients with the skills and support services they need to find regular employment. The towns are Chester, Deep River, Durham, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, and Middlefield. Here's the map

Commission on Children meeting on Tuesday

2010-03-10T17:46:00.001-05:00

The Commission on Children will hold its next regular meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16, in the conference room of its offices at 18-20 Trinity Street in Hartford.

View the agenda (PDF)

News conference Thursday by Children in the Recession Task Force

2010-03-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

The task force, formed by House Speaker Chris Donovan, will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Thursday, in Room 1-B of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, to unveil a bill crafted in response to the public hearings it has been holding around Connecticut.

Task Force home page

Children in the Recession Task Force holding public hearing Saturday in Bridgeport

2010-02-01T18:11:00.002-05:00

The task force, formed by House Speaker Chris Donovan, wants to hear from youths, heads of households, and anyone else with ideas on how to help Connecticut children get through the recession. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 6, at Bridgeport City Hall Annex, with sign-ups for testimony beginning at 9:30.

Download this flyer for details (PDF)

Task Force home page

Parent engagement is the focus of Tuesday's Commission meeting

2010-01-11T15:28:00.003-05:00

We'll hear from panelists on the benefits of helping parents to get more involved in civic life. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. in Room 1-D of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Here's the agenda.

The Connecticut Network (CT-N) plans live coverage. Watch CT-N's website for info on repeat airings and watching the event on your computer.

11/19 meeting of the Speaker's Task Force on Children in the Recession

2009-11-19T18:20:00.001-05:00

The Speaker's Task Force on Children in the Recession held its third meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2009, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. It took testimony from state and national experts on the following topics:

The State of Working Connecticut
Unemployment and Welfare in a Recession
The American Dream and Hopes for College
Youth: Gaps and Opportunities

Watch CT-N coverage of the meeting and read meeting documents

NOTE: The Task Force, as part of its plan to hear testimony from residents of each of Connecticut's five congressional districts, will hold a hearing for the 1st District at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Directions

The 1st District, represented in Congress by John B. Larson, includes these communities: Barkhamsted, Berlin, Bloomfield, Bristol, Colebrook , Cromwell, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hartland, Manchester, Middletown, New Hartford, Newington, Portland, Rocky Hill, Southington, South Windsor, Torrington, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Winchester, Windsor, and Windsor Locks.

Children in the Recession Task Force meets Thursday, November 19

2009-11-17T09:36:00.002-05:00

The legislative task force formed by House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan to address the needs of Connecticut children and families impacted by the recession will meet at 10 a.m., Thursday, November 19, in Room 2-E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Agenda (PDF) | Task force home page | Children in the Recession blog

Commission on Children meets Tuesday, Nov. 10

2009-11-09T14:51:00.002-05:00

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the conference room of the Commission's offices, at 18-20 Trinity Street in Hartford. Here's the agenda (PDF).

Children of Incarcerated Parents

2009-10-27T11:59:00.001-04:00

In the Fatherhood section of our website, we've posted a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) that gives state governments a framework for helping the children of incarcerated parents. It points to research showing that such assistance can result in reduced recidivism for the parent, healthier development of the child, and fewer cases of incarceration across generations of families.

Children in the Recession Task Force holds first meeting

2009-10-01T14:52:00.001-04:00

The Speaker's task force met for the first time on Tuesday, and there's lots of material from it. You'll find it on the Commission on Children's website. We'll be adding to it for the next few days, so check back!

Children in the Recession Task Force to meet Tuesday

2009-09-28T12:57:00.001-04:00

The legislative task force formed by House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan to address the needs of children affected by the recession will meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, in Room 2-C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The Connecticut Network plans to cover it; check the CT-N website for program times.

Meeting agenda

More on the task force

A sample of student writing & artwork about 9-11

2009-09-10T17:00:00.001-04:00

Immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11, the Commission on Children began an annual practice of asking students throughout Connecticut to put their thoughts and feelings about the disaster into writing and artwork. As time went on, we also asked them to react to Hurricane Katrina and other matters affecting their world view. You can find all of that work on the Terrorism and Natural Disasters page of this website, but to mark the eighth anniversary of 9/11, we thought you'd be interested in samples -- from each of the towns that participated in the project -- focusing on that day. Most of it was submitted in 2006 and 2007. You'll find it here.

Come to our SNAP E&T workshop for cities and regions on September 8

2009-08-28T11:59:00.001-04:00

You'll find out about opportunities for federal employment-training funds under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. You'll also hear progress reports from officials of communities that already are participating. The meeting will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in Room 1-E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Download the agenda (PDF) | Learn more about SNAP E&T

Packet materials and other information will added to the website as the meeting approaches.

We've published our August newsletter

2009-08-20T19:14:00.002-04:00

You'll find it here.

To read previous issues and sign up to receive future issues in your e-mail, go here.

Read our new blog: Children in the Recession

2009-07-21T11:00:00.006-04:00

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert said it best: "With so much attention focused on the banking system and arguments over bailouts, the plight of America’s children in this severe economic downturn is getting short shrift." That's why we've begun highlighting news articles and other information on how children are faring in the crisis through our new blog, Connecticut Children in the Recession, at childrenintherecession.blogspot.com. (There's also a link on our home page.)

Check back often -- we're updating daily.