The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance is a growing consortium of organizations and individuals committed to improving developmental outcomes in the areas of learning, health, safety and economic security for children ages birth to eight, and their families. Recognizing the need to prioritize its current work, the Alliance is focusing on the needs of young children and their families in the context of health and learning.

• Vision of the Alliance
• Public Goal of the Alliance
• Structure of the Alliance
• Committees
• Membership

Vision of the Alliance, adopted in December 2002

“We envision a time, within the next decade, when all Connecticut children are born healthy, live safely within their home and community, and have ongoing opportunities for successful learning. We want all Connecticut children to grow up eager to learn and ready for school success, and we want their families to become, if they are not already, economically self-sufficient. We respect families as the cradle of learning, and we seek to ensure that all families can access opportunities and services that strengthen this critical role.”

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Public Goal of the Alliance, adopted May 2003

“All children born in Connecticut beginning in 2004 will enter kindergarten healthy, eager to learn, and ready for school success.”

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Structure of the Alliance

To conduct its work, The CT Early Childhood Alliance seeks to engage the expertise, relationships and organizational assets of its members across the following areas:

• Policy, Research and Data Analysis
• Family and Community Engagement
• Messaging and Communications
• Tactical Mobilizing and Stakeholder Development

The Alliance holds public meetings on a bi-monthly basis, generally at the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund in Hamden, CT. Two individuals, elected in the spring of 2003, serve as co-conveners: Linda Kosko of Danbury Children First and Juleen Flanigan of Education Connection in northwest CT. These individuals also chair the Alliance Steering Committee, comprised of co-chairs of its working and ad hoc committees. CT Voices for Children provides staffing support for the Alliance through a grant from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund.

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Committees

In addition to the Steering Committee, 2003/2004 working committees and their chairpersons are:

Communications:
Judy Goldfarb (Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative)
Jill Skowronek (CT Voices for Children)

Mobilizing:
Helene Figueroa (independent member)
Alice Torres (ACES)

Leadership Development:
Jude Carroll (CT Association for Human Services)

Legislative Education and Advocacy:
Ellen Scalettar (Advocates for CT’s Children and Youth)
Elaine Zimmerman (CT Commission on Children)

ECE Economic Impact Working Group:
Janice Gruendel (CT Voices for Children)
Jim Horan (CT Association for Human Services)

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Membership

There are three categories of membership on the Alliance.

Core members are organizations who commit their organizational resources to accomplishment of the Alliance’s vision and goals, and vote the organization’s agenda and actions.

Information partners are organizations who support the goals of the Alliance and agree to transmit information between their constituencies and the Alliance.

Independent members are individuals who support the goals of the Alliance and who participate without an organizational affiliation.

Current core members of the CT Early Childhood Alliance are:

Advocates for CT’s Children and Youth, Inc.
Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition
Child Care Learning Centers
Child Health and Development Institute
Children’s Investment Partnership
CT Association for the Education of Young Children
CT Association for Community Action
CT Association for Human Services
CT Center for School Change
CT Charts A Course
CT Family Resource Alliance
CT Oral Health Initiative
CT Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
CT School Readiness Network
CT Voices for Children
Danbury Children First
Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative
Meriden Children First
RESC (Regional Education Service Center) Alliance
United Way of CT/INFOLINE

Information partners are:

Children’s Action Team of Southeast CT
Children’s Trust Fund
Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
CT Commission on Children
CT Department of Children and Families
CT Department of Social Services
CT State Department of Education
Middlesex Coalition for Children
PLTI Alumni Association of Norwalk
William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund

Independent Members are:

Helene Figueroa (Stamford)
Harry Orlick (Stamford)
Shannon Brown (Middletown)

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For more information about the Alliance or to inquire about its meeting schedule or membership, contact the co-conveners: Juleen Flanigan at -- flanigan@educationconnection.k12.ct.us -- or Linda Kosko at -- lindak@danburychildrenfirst.org.