The Childhood Conversations & Together We Will Annual Conference is fast approaching! The virtual conference will be Friday April 16, 2021 from 9-2:30 and Saturday April 17, 2021 from 9-2:30.

Friday Moderator:  Commissioner Beth Bye, CT Office of Early Childhood
Friday Panelists:
Gil Noam, Ed.D, Ph.D, Founder and Director, Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth (ISRY) at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Merrill Gay, Executive Director, Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance
Adriana Fontaine, M.Sc, Early Childhood Programs Manager, Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center
Cailin O’Connor, Senior Associate at the Center for the Study of Social Policy
Claire Conroy, Consultant, State Education Resource Center of Connecticut

The conference is FREE. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend Saturday. The Connecticut Children’s Collective is proud to be representing the efforts around the state during the pandemic by having some of our local partners participate in a panel discussion and facilitate workshops with an eye toward parent engagement and strengthening our communities by sharing best practices and valuable resources.

Saturday Moderator:  Elena Trueworthy, Director of Head Start State Collaboration Office
Saturday Panelists:
Randi McCray, Social Justice and Equity Consultant
Paquita Jarman-Smith, Consultant, State Education Resource Center of Connecticut
Dawn Dubay, Middletown School Readiness Liaison
Roslyn Sotero, Director of Community Schools, Waterbury Bridge to Success Community Partnership
Kristine Cicchetti, Director, Northeast Early Childhood Council
Emily Ross, School Readiness Site Coordinator, Killingly Public Schools

Where Do We Grow From Here? Taking a Village Approach to Post-Pandemic Recovery in Communities

Join us for an interactive cross-sector panel discussion on how to move forward from the COVID-19 Pandemic. This past year we have witnessed the vast divides in our social fabric that include the lack of access to remote technology, mental health services, resources to our public schools and early childhood system.  Additionally, there has been a disconnect to community health organizations, as well as systemic and institutional racism.  All of this has spotlighted the inequities that families must navigate to ensure their family’s safety and health.

Now is the time to reimagine what community means and how we care for our children and their families. It is clear that these systems and structures need to be updated and improved.   This will require us to examine social policies and past practices: now is the time to reimagine, and rebuild. How we choose to heal will have a lasting impact on our communities, children, and society for decades to come. We are excited to have you join the conversation.

To learn more and to register, please visit Childhood Conversations