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Mental Health America's 2024 State of Mental Health report found close to 20% (54,000) of Connecticut young people have had at least one major depressive episode. (Adobe Stock)

CT doctors advise best back-to-school health practices

With Connecticut schools starting soon, doctors said healthy practices can help children heading back to the classroom. In the transition from …

Connecticut's Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care estimated the state loses around $1.5 billion yearly due to a lack of infant and toddler care. (Adobe Stock)

CT legislation helps reduce child care provider shortage

Legislation in Connecticut could help reduce the ongoing child care workforce shortage Reports show some 40,000 child care positions unfilled…

A report from The 74 Million showed Bedford Middle School in the Westport School District has the largest enrollment decline in Connecticut, at 40%. (Adobe Stock)

K-12 enrollment declining in Connecticut schools

School enrollment has declined statewide in Connecticut. State education data shows between 2018 and 2023, statewide enrollment was down more than 17…

Report: CT early childhood education needs improvements

Child advocates feel early childhood education must be a top-of-mind issue for Connecticut lawmakers. A new report found early learning in the state …

As of 2023, there are 3,800 staff vacancies in early child care programs. Staffing shortages are preventing programs from enrolling enough kids to break even. Only 32.3% of child care centers reported positive cash flow. (Adobe Stock)

CT child advocates hope to blunt impacts of new education law

Child advocates across Connecticut are imploring Gov. Ned Lamont to increase state funding for subsidized preschool and child care slots. It would …

Although Connecticut's rankings in most health-related areas declined in the latest Kids Count Data Book, the state saw minor improvement in the number of children with health insurance. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT Children Need Health, Education Investments

Investments in education and health are needed to bolster Connecticut's children, a new annual report found. In the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids …

Since February 2020, more than 88,000 child-care jobs have been lost nationally. (Adobe Stock)

CT United Way Working on Family Child-Care Network Hub

United Way of Connecticut is launching a network hub for family child care providers. The new hub, created in partnership with the Connecticut Office …

According to research from the Center for American Progress, 44% of Connecticut residents live in a

Children's Trust Fund Proposal an Investment in CT Families

A proposal in Connecticut would create a Children's Trust Fund, to support a state Child Tax Credit and early child care initiatives. Advocates said …

According to the 2021 Kids Count Data Book, the number of Connecticut children ages 3 and 4 not enrolled in preschool has dropped in the last decade, from 38% in 2009-2011 to 34% in 2017-2019. (Adobe Stock)

Report Suggests More CT Families Backslid Financially in Pandemic

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut ranks in the top 10 states for children's education and health, but its families rank lower in terms of economic well-…

Reading proficiency for Connecticut fourth-grade students has improved, but math proficiency for eighth graders declined. (Wokandapix/Pixabay)

CT Ranks High for Children’s Well-Being, but Census Change Raises Concerns

HARTFORD, Conn. – The latest figures on the well-being of children show Connecticut ranks seventh in the nation, but children's advocates fear …

African-American children in Connecticut ranked 12th in the nation for overall well-being, compared with third for whites. (Pexels/Pixabay)

Children of Color, Immigrant Children Still Falling Behind

HARTFORD, Conn. – Wide gaps in progress for children of color and immigrant children persist in Connecticut, according to a new report…

Budgets proposed by Gov. Dannel Malloy and state legislators all cut spending on children's programs and services to record lows. (Dannel Malloy/Flickr)

Analysis Says CT Budget Proposals Hurt Kids

HARTFORD, Conn. – An analysis of four proposed state budgets finds they all would cut critical spending on programs for children to record lows …

Gov. Dannel Malloy wants state lawmakers to enact a fair funding for public schools. (Dannel Malloy/flickr.com)

Advocates Welcome Call for Equitable School Funding

HARTFORD, Conn. – Education advocates are applauding Gov. Dannel Malloy's call for school funding that is fair, transparent, accountable and …

114,000 Connecticut children live in poverty. (Amanda Mills, USCDCP/public-domain-image.com)

Connecticut Child Poverty at All-Time High

HARTFORD, Conn. - New analysis shows that despite increases during the recession, the share of Connecticut's budget going to children has declined…

A lawsuit in Superior Court claims state funding treats low-income school districts unfairly. (US Dept. of Education/flickr.com)

Long-Delayed Challenge to CT School Funding Goes to Trial

HARTFORD, Conn. - A 2005 lawsuit challenging Connecticut's school funding formula has finally gone to trial. The suit, filed by the Connecticut …

More than half the Syrian refugees heading to the United States are children. Credit: UK-DFID/Wikimedia Commons

As More Syrian Refugees Arrive, CT is Ready to Help

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The U.S will admit 10,000 refugees from Syria over the next year, more than five times the number admitted in the past 12 months…

PHOTO: The Connecticut Association for Human Services provides financial education programs for adults. These efforts can be even more effective in tandem with programs that help kids in lower-income families, according to a new Annie E. Casey Foundation report. Photo credit: Barbara Steadman, CAHS

Call to Action in CT: Two-Generation Approach to Fighting Poverty

HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut will see better outcomes for children and families if it takes a new two-generation approach to fighting poverty…

PHOTO: Schools around the country are using wireless Internet connections � and receiving billions in federal aid to expand Wi-Fi use - despite growing concern that exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) transmissions may be harmful to students and teachers. Graphic credit: <br />Woodleywonderworks/Flckr

WiFi in Schools: How Safe?

HARTFORD, Conn. – Warnings about the potential hazards of radiation from Wi-Fi in school classrooms are on the rise. But those who are …

PHOTO: The latest Kids Count data book finds Connecticut in the top five among U.S. states for education, but problems remain. Photo credit: Randen Peterson / Flickr.

Connecticut Among the Nation's Best for Education

HARTFORD, Conn. - When it comes to education, Connecticut ranks among the best places in the nation according to the latest Kids Count data book from …

Big Gap in CT Kids' Ability to Thrive: Latino Children Lag Behind

HARTFORD, Conn. - It's one of the largest gaps in the nation for how kids are progressing. A new national report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation …

GRAPHIC: Children � and adults � are urged to resist the tantalizing images on entertainment screens for one week, starting April 29th. Courtesy CCFC.

Fewer Screens, More “Free-Range Children”

HARTFORD, Conn. - Today is the first day of Screen-Free Week, an annual effort by children's advocates to get kids free from the grip of electronic …

PHOTO: With renewed emphasis on early childhood development in Albany and Washington, DC, advocates are hoping more attention is paid to the roll public libraries can play. Photo courtesy MCPL

Advocates of Pre-K Pushing Obama: “Go To The Library”

HARTFORD, Conn. - President Obama highlighted support for early learning in his State of the Union address. He should go to the library, according to …

PHOTO: picture of Charles Brunner. Courtesy of the Child & Family Policy Center.

Election 2012: What About Connecticut's Children?

HARTFORD, Conn. - So far, the 2012 presidential race has focused variously on unemployment, job creation, tax cuts, the candidates' tax returns…

Feds Neglect Child-Care Update for 16 Years

GUILFORD, Conn. - Congress has gone 16 years without reauthorizing the law that helps fund local child-care programs, and that's far too long…

A Winning Strategy for Kids, Parents, Childcare Providers – and CT

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A bright spot in the Connecticut economy is the financial contributions that come from low-income women who get training as home …

Child Care Advocates: Keep Working Parents Working in CT

HARTFORD, Conn. - As Connecticut lawmakers gather today for a special session focused on jobs, advocates for children want them to remember the …

CT Optimistic about Winning Big Education Grant

HARTFORD, Conn. - A big cross-section of Connecticut educators, from Head Start to college level, are all doing the math and betting that Connecticut …

Connecticut Goes After Race to the Top Funding

HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut has another chance to snag a federal Race to the Top grant, this one focusing on early learning. The winning states …

CT Children Hit Hard by Recession

HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut always ranks in the top 10 in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, thanks to progressive …

To 3 Rs, add HS – Healthy Start

FARMINGTON, Conn. - As summer wanes and thoughts of starting kindergarten loom larger for parents of young children, one Connecticut organization is …

Summertime at Pre-School Means Hard Work

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Are finger painting, water play and dress-up just fun - or are they academic learning? Or are they the basis for social and …

CT Legislature Takes First Step to Coordinate Early Care, Learning

HARTFORD, Conn. - Services for care and education of young children, from birth to age 8, are spread over seven departments in Connecticut state …

Pass the Blocks, Say Child Care Experts

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Pass the blocks, say child care experts. Two recent studies confirm that playing with objects like blocks, which can be used in …

Report: 3rd Grade Reading Skills Predict High School Graduation

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Kids struggling with reading in third grade are more likely to miss out on a high school diploma, according to a new study that …

Week of Young Child Prompts Call for Own Department

HAMDEN, Conn. - It's the Week of the Young Child through Saturday, and in Connecticut, the designation is being used to promote reorganizing services …

Dr. Seuss Still Teaching a Love of Reading

HARTFORD, Conn. - Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel, wrote and illustrated storybooks loved by millions of children and their parents. In honor of his …

Education for Young Children a Priority in Governor's Address

HARTFORD, Conn. - In a tough budget speech Wednesday that was long on shared sacrifice, givebacks and efficiencies, Gov. Dannel Malloy proposed one …

A Teacher -- or Television -- Better at Educating Young Children?

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- As Gov. Dannel Malloy prepares to release his state budget proposal on Wednesday, a new report shows state funding is slipping …

Exhibit Turns Focus to Lawmakers' Youngest Constituents

HARTFORD, Conn. - When Connecticut legislators convene this week, they'll be greeted by an exhibit from the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance…

Shopping for Tots? Keep it Simple, Santa

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Those battery-operated, digital wonder toys have their place, but experts say the best way to help a young child develop …

Business Leaders Focusing on the SpongeBob Set

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Business leaders say the benefits of early childhood education are well documented. At the Business Summit on Early Childhood …

Bridgeport Annual Children's Report Card: Mostly "Fs"

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Bridgeport is Connecticut's largest city, and also one of its poorest, which makes achieving progress for children a huge …

Report: Quality Education Begins With the Very Young

HARTFORD, Conn. - Start with the very youngest children. That's the suggestion of a new report about how to close Connecticut's biggest-in-the-nation …

Fatherhood Initiatives Expanding in Pre-schools

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - At many day care centers, male teachers, and fathers, are absent or all but invisible, but new initiatives to bring male role …

Educators in New Haven Say Achievement Gap Found in Babies Under One

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Speaking at a conference in New Haven on Friday, the official in charge of early learning at the U.S. Department of Education says …

'Driving Literacy Home' Hands Out 13,000 Books to CT Preschoolers

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The 3- and 4-year-olds at the Gateway Community College Early Learning Center love being read to by parents and teachers, and now …

"Parent Power" Brought to Bear on Candidates

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A new campaign launched in this election season is called "I Care About Kids and I Vote." It aims to impress upon those running …

Closing the 30 Million Word Gap for CT Non-readers

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - New Britain holds an unenviable record -- its third graders have scored at the bottom on state reading tests in three of the …

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CT: Early Childhood Education