Thanks for Coming to Southington!
Thank you to everyone who came to Southington last Thursday night, enjoyed good company and good food, and learned more 
about the Alliance, while raising some money for its future. It was a beautiful night weather-wise, and Mark and Janet Alfano were amazing hosts at their beautiful home. If you couldn't make Thursday night, but would like to support the Alliance's efforts to stand for Connecticut's young children, you can click HERE.
Wrapping Up Children's Champions
For one full week in July (plus a few additional days), the Alliance cris-crossed the state, honoring twelve legislators and two child care providers as 2018 Children's Champions. The Alliance recognized legislators for their leadership on issues that impact the well-being of Connecticut's young children in the areas of healthy development, early care and education, nutrition, and safety.
“Each of the legislators we’re recognizing this year stood up for children to protect funding for child care or to push policy change that supports families with children,” said Merrill Gay, Executive Director of the Alliance.
Legislation passed this year includes: A bill that will make it easier for homeless families to obtain child care, thus helping parents work and change their situations. Another bill that passed will allow the CT Office of Early Childhood to prioritize infants and toddlers if there is a Care4Kids wait list. It will also make it easier for the OEC to adjust provider rates for School Readiness and state-funded centers. An act mandating insurance coverage of essential health benefits including pregnancy and im
munizations also passed this year.
This year, the Alliance honored two early childhood providers who have been strong advocates for children in 2018. Georgia Goldburn, Director of HOPE Child Care Development Center in New Haven and Mary Cecchinato, Director of Torrington Child Care Center.
“There are so many times that you’re out there and you’re doing things and you just don’t feel that anyone pays attention,” said Cecchinato. “It really is a wonderful feeling to know there are people who appreciate what you do.”
“I would never call myself a champion, but it’s always wonderful when other people look at the commitment you make every day,” said Goldburn.
Legislators honored this year are: Rep. Cathy Abercrombie (D-Meriden), Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington), Rep. Andrew Fleischmann (D-West Hartford), Rep. Noreen Kokoruda (R-Madison), Rep. Gail Lavielle (R-Wilton), Rep. Bobby Sanchez (D-New Britain), Rep. Toni Walker (D-New Haven), Sen. Toni Boucher (R-26), Sen. Beth Bye (D-5), Sen. Paul Formica (R-20), Sen. Marilyn Moore (D-22), and Sen. Cathy Osten (D-19).
EPSDT Education for Providers and Advocates Webinar
Please consider joining a joint webinar hosted by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Georgetown Center for Children and Families designed to provide detailed information to the child health community about Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, the comprehensive and guaranteed benefit for all children enrolled in the Medicaid program. This activity has been approved for 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Despite its longevity as a foundational element of Medicaid, EPSDT's full breadth and depth is often misunderstood. This webinar will identify EPSDT’s history and structure, discuss the role of the federal government and states in the provision of the benefit, and provide examples of services guaranteed to children in Medicaid.
The webinar is Wednesday, July 18, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., EST. To register, click HERE.
"Choose Wonder:" One-Day Early Childhood Conference
A professional development opportunity is available through a one-day conference, hosted by the Gessell Institute. "Choose Wonder" will include workshops and keynote speaker Dr. Kathryn Hirsch-Pasek, author of "Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children." The conference is July 20, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Yale School of Medicine's Donald J. Cohen Auditorium, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven. For more information or to register for the conference, click HERE.
Support for the Alliance comes from of our members and our funders: The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Connecticut Health Foundation, Connecticut Community Foundation, Children's Fund of Connecticut, CT Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, a project of CT Council of Philanthropy; The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut; Community Foundation of Greater New Britain; and Community Foundation of Greater New Haven.