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Class of
2009 graduates from PLTI
With their families and state
officials looking on, more than 170 parents from across Connecticut graduated
on June 24
from the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), a family civics
initiative of the Commission on Children. It was the culmination of 20
weeks of leadership training and hard work on community projects.
More information,
photos, and video |
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Children in the
recession: A legislative task force
The Commission hosted a June 16 forum
where Speaker of the House of Representatives Christopher G. Donovan
announced the formation of a legislative task force to address the needs of
children affected by the recession.
Event
documents, video, and photos
VIDEO: Legislative
briefing from Liz Brown
How did children fare in the recently completed General Assembly session?
Watch this video for an overview
by Commission on Children Legislative Director Elizabeth C. Brown. Recorded
June 17.
Promoting Employability & Wages with SNAP-ET
On June 8, 2009, the Connecticut Commission on
Children hosted a briefing on how job-training providers --
including municipalities and community colleges -- can participate
in SNAP-ET, which provides a 50-cent federal match for every dollar
spent on services that help food stamp recipients find regular
employment.
Read
more
On a sad note...
The Commission on Children is losing to retirement two longtime staff
members: Legislative Director Elizabeth C. Brown and Special Projects
Director Patricia Estill. The energy, intelligence, and care that Liz
and Pat brought to their work for Connecticut's children will be missed
deeply here at the Commission, but count on them to focus their gifts on
new endeavors. If you'd like to wish them well,
we're happy to pass your words along.
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Brain research informs us that reading is teachable to 95 percent of our
students. Yet 10 to 40 percent of them will have difficulty learning to
read and will need specialized instruction.
Visit the factsheet page
of the Commission website for more facts on reading and other topics,
including bullying, lead poisoning, parent engagement, poverty,
prevention, and childhood obesity. |
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Commission elects officers
At its June 9 meeting, the Commission on Children unanimously elected
the following as officers for 2009-2010:
- Chair - M. Alex Geertsma, M.D.
- Vice-Chair - George Coleman
- Secretary - Mary Grace Reed
- Treasurer - James P. Cordier
Meet the
rest of our board
Commission on Children in the news
Note: Most newspapers make their online articles available for only a short period before charging access fees.
- Commission Executive Director Elaine Zimmerman
was
interviewed by WFSB-TV on June 16, as part of a story on the
launch of House Speaker
Christopher G. Donovan's launch of a legislative task force to
address the needs of children affected by the recession. (See the
article above.)
- The Hartford Courant published on June 4 a
letter from Ms. Zimmerman that congratulated Senate President
Donald Williams and the other legislative leaders for guiding the
passage of an effective menu-labeling bill. She called it "an
important step forward for children's health."
Request of copy of the letter
- Claudia Morales-Gonzalez, a graduate of the
Danbury PLTI Class of 2009, is featured in the current issue of
"Jill," a magazine supplement of The News Times of Danbury.
See pages 8 and 9.
- The June 16 graduation ceremonies of the New
Haven PLTI Class of 2009 were
covered by the New Haven Independent.
- WTNH-TV used data supplied by the Commission
for a
June 1 story regarding childhood obesity. The story also
referred to the
Connecticut Childhood Obesity Council, which is co-chaired by
Director of Policy and Research
Analysis Thomas R. Brooks.
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About the Commission
Created in 1985 by the Connecticut General Assembly, the 25-member Commission on Children brings together the three branches of government--legislative, executive, and judicial--as well as the private sector to promote public policies in the best interests of children. More The Connecticut Commission on Children
18-20 Trinity Street
Hartford, CT 06106-1591 | Phone: (860) 240-0290
Fax: (860) 240-0248
Website: www.cga.ct.gov/coc |
Commission members: M. Alex Geertsma, M.D., F.A.A.P., Chair; George A. Coleman, Vice Chair;
Mary Grace Reed, Secretary; James P. Cordier, Treasurer; Laura Lee Simon,
Chair Emerita; Judith Busch; Representative Andrew M. Fleischmann; Mary K. Fox; Senator Jonathan Harris;
Alison Hilding; Senator Andrew J. McDonald; Josh Piteo; Barbara J. Ruhe;
Representative Toni Walker; John Yrchik. Ex-officio members: commissioners of children and families, developmental services, public health, education, social services, and correction; the secretary of policy and management; the attorney general; and the chief court administrator. More information
Commission staff: Elaine Zimmerman, executive director; Elizabeth C. Brown, legislative director; Thomas R. Brooks, director of policy and research analysis; Patricia Estill, special projects director; Dawn Homer-Bouthiette, Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) director; Kevin Flood, public information officer and webmaster; Mary Kate Lowndes,
director of development; Rachel Levy, executive secretary; Edie Luciano, legislative secretary. Contact information
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