It is with great sadness that we recently learned of the passing of Kate Miller. Kate was the Executive Director of The Fund for Greater Hartford for 15 years.

As trustees and friends of The Fund reflected on this great loss, many expressed words of appreciation for Kate’s dedication to children and families in the greater Hartford area and her leadership and stewardship of The Fund.

“Kate leaves a powerful legacy.  She will be remembered for her impact on the community and her leadership in the development of philanthropic policies and direction.”

“Kate was always very proper and diligent and she had the best interests of The Fund close at hand.”

“Kate spent 15 years as a champion for children and families in greater Hartford as the Executive Director of The Fund. She is an example of personal and professional integrity and a steadfast steward for the philanthropic community in our region and state,”

Our thoughts are with Kate’s family and friends.

The Fund will honor Kate with a donation to the ALS Association Connecticut Chapter.

You may access Kate’s obituary here:  https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=katharine-k-miller&pid=197669965&fhid=4131

The report below, “When Collective Impact has an Impact”, was commissioned by the Collective Impact Forum to provide a balanced, independent assessment of whether and how collective impact is contributing to population- and systems-level outcomes. Over 200 sites were considered for the study, and two in CT were ultimately selected.  Read More

The Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative co-sponsored two events in December and January as part of their effort in advancing knowledge development on early childhood issues.

On December 13, the ECFC CT State Department of Education and the Office of Early Childhood presented a symposium, Family and Community Engagement, at Gateway Community College in New Haven. More than 100 participants including members from the Commissioner’s Roundtable, funders from the ECFC, early childhood leaders and practitioners, parents and community members to determine common definition and principles of high impact family engagement for better alignment of policies, resources, more effective parent engagement and ultimately better outcomes for children.

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When a kid acts out in New Britain, the first question teachers, administrators and mental health professionals are asking is no longer, “What’s wrong with you?” but, “What happened to you?”

The reaction is no longer to punish, but to empathize. The shift is just the beginning of the city’s efforts to become “trauma-informed.” To be “trauma-informed” is to recognize that 25 percent of children under 17 have suffered some form of trauma in their life, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and to help them heal and move on rather than punish them for how they have responded to what happened to them.

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On Wednesday, August 2, 2017, the district hosted community funders at the Summer Enrichment Experience and XTREME.  To learn more about event, download the Fact Sheet and view pictures taken at the event.

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Usually, but especially when resources are limited, good investments are those that are based on research about what really works and have promise for making a positive and long-term impact.  One of the state’s recent examples of a good investment is the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).  Unfortunately, budget proposals recommend decreasing, and in some cases ending. this positive long-term investment in order to create short-term savings.

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Fifteen communities located across the country have been recognized for their efforts to boost attendance, improve grade-level reading proficiency and student success among low-income families. Honored with an All-America City Award (AAC), each community made progress by engaging families and collaborating with local educators, government, business, faith and philanthropy organizations.

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48 COMMUNITIES RECOGNIZED FOR ACHIEVING MEASURABLE PROGRESS IN ADVANCING EARLY LITERACY
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 29, 2017 – The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading today announced its 5th Annual Pacesetter Honors. Forty-eight communities across the nation have been recognized as Pacesetters for “leading by example” to solve one or more of the challenges that can undermine early literacy — school readiness, school attendance and summer learning. “Recognizing the Pacesetters is our way of applauding the civic leaders, organizations and agencies that have joined forces to build brighter futures for the children in their communities,” said Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. “We are learning with them and from them what it takes to move the needle and close the gap.” Read More

15 U.S. COMMUNITIES AWARDED TOP HONORS IN CIVIC ACTION COMMUNITY-PROBLEM SOLVING AND PROGRESSING ADVANCING EARLY LITERACY
Fifteen communities across the country were honored today with the 2017 All-America City Award (AAC) for their civic engagement to help more young children from low-income families achieve grade-level reading proficiency and early school success. Research has long shown that when children read at proficient levels by third grade they are more likely to complete high school prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship. Read More

On April 1st, the New Britain school district and the Coalition for New Britain’s Youth was presented the Community Vision Award from the Childhood Conversations Conference Committee. “While the conference does not typically award cities, the work of New Britain is a beacon of hope for other communities looking to make gains through the power of school and community engagement,” said Ken Anthony, Director of Professional Development and Research at the Connecticut After School Network. Read More