Bristol Press reports on the arrival of PLTI in Plymouth

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"

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

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

Our 2011 meeting schedule

You'll find it here.

Two new board members

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.