June 24, 2020

CHDI Launches 5-Year State and National Initiative to Improve Trauma Screening to Better Identify Youth

June 24, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

The Connecticut-based Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI) is launching a five-year initiative to improve child trauma screening in Connecticut and nationwide. The initiative, Trauma ScreenTIME (Screen, Triage, Inform, Mitigate, Engage), will develop online staff training for child-serving professionals to improve early identification and support of children suffering from traumatic stress and connection to evidence-based treatment.

June 18, 2020

Connecticut Is Ranked 3rd Best State for Working Dads

June 18, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

If you’re planning to be a father, or already are, Connecticut is just about the best place there is. A national data analysis ranks Connecticut as the third best state in the U.S. for working dads.

June 16, 2020

Racism is a Public Health Emergency: State Senator Urges CT to be 1st State to Issue Declaration

June 16, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

“Racism is absolutely a public health issue and a threat to health,” said Patricia Baker, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “Racism is an underlying cause of the many racial and ethnic health disparities that exist in Connecticut.” State Senator Saud Anwar is urging Gov. Lamont to declare racism as a public health emergency, citing data that makes the case. CT would be the first state to do so.

June 02, 2020

American Heart Association First-Ever Statement on Children’s Healthy Eating Supports UConn Center Research

June 02, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

How children are fed may be just as important as what they are fed, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association. The formal statement is the first ever from the Association focused on providing evidence-based strategies for parents and caregivers to create a healthy food environment for young children, and very much in line with ongoing research by the Rudd Center at UConn.

May 14, 2020

Local Book Store to Offer Free Children’s Books Alongside Meal Pick-up

May 14, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

With the recent announcement that schools will be shuttered for the remainder of the academic year, many families are searching for ways to provide education to supplement on-line learning offered by schools. This is particularly challenging for low income families who rely on school lunches and classroom resources, and may not have access to additional materials at home. In Glastonbury, a local bookstore has developed a way to help.

March 23, 2020

Community Action Agencies Providing Services for Residents in Need Across CT

March 23, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

The coronavirus pandemic has created challenges for people in virtually every walk of life and every demographic, but none have been impacted more than those already living in society’s margins. The depth and breadth of the need in Connecticut is reflected in the recently released annual report of the Connecticut Association For Community Action (CAFCA), which details the work of local Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the state

March 19, 2020

Museums Seek Federal Aid to Stay in Business Beyond COVID-19 Crisis

March 19, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

As the economic ramifications of the ever-expanding shutdown of daily life across the state and across the country due to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic accelerate, public officials are increasingly discussing how to assist families, small businesses and major industries recover. Now, another sector of the economy, museums of all types (including history museums, art museums, zoos, aquaria, gardens, science centers, and historic sites) are reaching out for financial help.

March 02, 2020

CT Schools Start Time Among Earliest in U.S., Science Indicates Later is Better; Legislature Considers Study to be Due Next January

March 02, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

According to the most recent national data, the average time that Connecticut high schools begin each morning is among the earliest in the nation – as increasing volumes of scientific data indicate that a later start is better for students health and performance in the classroom. The state legislature’s Education Committee will conduct a public hearing on Friday, March 6 on a proposal to study the issue of school start times.

February 24, 2020

Proposal Would Eliminate Requirement to Report School Bullying Incidents to State

February 24, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

The state legislature is considering a proposal that would “eliminate the requirement that each school under the jurisdiction of a local or regional board of education annually report the number of verified acts of bullying in such school to the Department of Education.” There were more than 550 bullying incidents reported in Connecticut schools in the last academic year.

February 23, 2020

Legislature Considers Free Swimming Lessons for Children Under Age 18

February 23, 2020/ Bernard Kavaler

Helping children learn to swim is what experts consider to be among the “very top strategies to reduce drowning emergencies and fatalities. The Connecticut legislature is currently considering legislation that would establish a program to provide free swimming lessons to individuals under the age of 18.