Where is Childhood Least Threatened? CT Ranks 5th Among States

The child poverty rate in Connecticut’s rural areas, 7.8 percent, is the lowest in the nation.  It is considerably higher in urban areas, 13.1 percent, which ranks 12^th among the states.  Overall, in an assessment of where childhood is most and least threatened, Connecticut ranks 5^th, according to Save the Children, the Fairfield-based organization that annually assesses the threats to childhood in the U.S. and internationally.  The state ranked sixth a year ago. The ranking does not capture the full extent of deprivations or hardships affecting children. Instead, it focuses on some key rights, or “guarantees” of childhood: life, healthy growth and development, education and protection from harm. If a child experiences all of these, his/her childhood is considered to be “intact.”

The ranking tracks a series of events that, should any one of them occur, mark the end of an intact childhood. These events are called “childhood enders” and include: child dies, child is malnourished, child drops out of school, child is a victim of violence, child has a child.

States were ranked according to performance across this set of enders, revealing where childhood is most and least threatened.  Connecticut’s average ranking across all categories was 8.2.

Connecticut had the 15^th lowest percentage of students dropping out of high school, ninth lowest infant mortality rate and 11^th lowest malnutrition levels.

The report indicates that “Save the Children hopes this report will stimulate discussion and action to ensure that every last child fully experiences childhood.”  The data reviewed includes the infant mortality rate, food insecurity rate, high school graduation rate, child homicide and suicide rate, and teen birth rate.

The report notes that “While children are only 20 percent of the population, they are 100 percent of America’s future.” Save the Children’s ranking reveals children in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire are far more likely to experience safe, secure and healthy childhoods than children in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Connecticut is the only state in the nation where fewer than 1 in 10 rural children live in poverty. It is followed by New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Dakota and Wyoming, all of which have rural child poverty rates below 12 percent.

Rural child poverty rates exceed urban poverty rates in 40 of 47 states with available data. Only Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin have more urban child poverty than rural child poverty. However, in most of these states, the urban and rural child poverty rates are similar. The difference is less than two percentage points, with the exception of Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Children's Champions to Be Recognized for Commitment, Leadership

Two leading advocates for Connecticut children who have followed very different paths to impact the well-being of young people will be honored by The Center for Children’s Advocacy as Connecticut’s 2018 Champion of Children Award recipients later this month. Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) and Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad, Executive Director of My People Clinical Services in Hartford will be honored at the Center’s annual Spring for Kids event to be held at Infinity Hall in Hartford on May 8, 2018.

Fran Rabinowitz has been a dedicated and respected Connecticut educational leader for over 30 years. Prior to her appointment at CAPSS, she served as Associate Commissioner of Education for the State of Connecticut, Superintendent of Hamden Public Schools, and Interim Superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools.

In announcing her selection, organizers indicated that “in every challenging position, Ms. Rabinowitz has demonstrated vision, courage and passion in her forceful advocacy for the educational needs of every student.”

Abdul-Rahmann I. Muhammad leads My People Clinical Services, a community-based social service organization that helps Hartford-area youth and families rebuild their lives. Services include therapeutic support and crisis intervention, helping youth overcome the impact of family disruption, domestic violence, substance abuse and other barriers to health and safety.

Through collaborations with state, educational and other community based organizations, My People aspires to be a leading organization for positive change, supported transition and permanency for children, young adults and families. In announcing Muhammad’s selection as an award recipient, organizers stressed that “his focus on Hartford’s underserved youth provides critically needed support.”

My People Clinical Services sponsors many community events such as the Daddy Daughter Dance and the Female Empowerment Conference. He also launched The Dream Support Network in 2007, to encourage, inspire and support individuals to live the life of their dreams. The signature programs of the Dream Support Network are Ice Cream for a Dream (where free ice cream is exchanged for dreams) and the Dream Chaser Program.

The Center for Children’s Advocacy is the largest children’s legal rights organization in New England, fighting for the legal rights of Connecticut’s most vulnerable children. Areas of focus include protecting and defending abused and neglected children, improving child health, supporting teens and homeless youth, improving educational success, helping immigrant children, reducing racial disparities, promotion youth voice and reducing involvement with the juvenile justice system.  Martha Stone is founder, two decades ago, and Executive Director of the Center for Children’s Advocacy.

Tickets and information are available on the Center for Children’s Advocacy website at cca-ct.org or from Susan Stein at sstein@cca-ct.org.

Lead Poisoning Is A Problem for Connecticut Children, National Study Reveals

A Reuters news service examination of lead testing results across the country found almost 3,000 areas with poisoning rates far higher than in Flint, Michigan, which was the focus of national attention this year for its dangerously tainted water supply. The review and analysis found at least seven areas in Connecticut, based on zip code geography, where the percentage of children found to have elevated lead levels exceeded – more than doubled – the percentage in Flint.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nationwide, around 2.5 percent of children ages 0-6 have an elevated lead level, defined as 5 micrograms/deciliter or higher. Among small children tested in Flint, Michigan during the peak of that city’s lead contamination crisis, 5 percent had elevated levels, or double the average.

In many neighborhoods – census tracts or zip code areas – across the country, a far higher rate of children have tested high in recent years.  The zip codes in Connecticut with elevated lead levels in more than 5 percent of children tested include more than a dozen neighborhoods and communities scattered across the state, with the highest levels  in the towns of Canaan and Sharon, and the cities of Bridgeport, New Haven, and Waterbury.

The State Department of Public Health website indicates that “childhood lead poisoning is the most common pediatric public health problem, yet it is entirely preventable. Once a child has been poisoned, the impairment it may cause is irreversible. Lead harms children’s nervous systems and is associated with reduced IQ, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities.”

Since the 1970s, U.S. efforts to eradicate childhood lead poisoning have made what Reuters describes as “remarkable progress,” while pointing out that “the advances have been uneven.”  Legacy lead – in paint, plumbing, yards, well-water or even playgrounds – means that kids in many neighborhoods remain at a disproportionately high risk of poisoning, the news service report explained.

The news service conducted a nationwide analysis of childhood blood lead testing data at the neighborhood level. Census tract or zip code level data reflecting the local prevalence of elevated lead tests was obtained from 21 states, including Connecticut.  The highest prevalence was found in:

Zip Code                              Tested Children /Elevated Results

06031 Canaan                    107 / 15.89%

06608 Bridgeport            8,602 / 13.32%

06511 New Haven            15,731/12.88%

06519 New Haven            8,318 / 11.95%

06607 Bridgeport             4,079/10.9%

06710 Waterbury             6,133/ 10.48%

06069    Sharon                  137 /10.22%

Across the country, Reuters found nearly 3,000 areas with recently recorded lead poisoning rates at least double those in Flint during the peak of that city’s contamination crisis. And more than 1,100 of these communities had a rate of elevated blood tests at least four times higher.

Reuters reports that zip codes have average populations of 7,500. In each area, a relatively small number of children are screened for lead poisoning each year, the report indicated.

The poisoned places stretch from Warren, Pennsylvania, a town on the Allegheny River where 36 percent of children tested had high lead levels, to a zip code on Goat Island, Texas, where a quarter of tests showed poisoning, the Reuters analysis indicated. In some pockets of Baltimore, Cleveland and Philadelphia, where lead poisoning has spanned generations, the rate of elevated tests over the last decade was 40 to 50 percent.

“I hope this data spurs questions from the public to community leaders who can make changes,” said epidemiologist Robert Walker, co-chair of the CDC’s Lead Content Work Group, which analyzes lead poisoning nationwide. “I would think that it would turn some heads.”

The findings, Walker told Reuters, will help inform the public about risks in their own neighborhoods and allow health officials to seek lead abatement grants in the most dangerous spots.

Congress recently directed $170 million in aid to Flint - 10 times the CDC’s budget for assisting states with lead poisoning this year, Reuters reported.

Disparities Continue As Uneven Economic Recovery Challenges Children and Families; Changes Urged

Connecticut lost 85,358 jobs during the recession, which technically ended nearly seven years ago. The state has continued to hemorrhage manufacturing jobs, however, and industries dependable before the crash—particularly those in finance and health care—grew more slowly or not at all. According to a new report by Connecticut Voices for Children, 97.7 percent of Connecticut’s net job losses were in mid- or high-wage industries and 51 percent of the job losses occurred in the manufacturing and construction sectors, with another 15 percent of job losses occurring in retail trade.

The financial disparity in the state’s population is more stark than ever, the report said.  “Over the past thirty years, incomes for the bottom 99 percent grew by just 14.5 percent, while the incomes of the top 1 percent swelled by 290.8 percent. As a result of this lopsided growth—a period in which the top 1 percent captured 71.6 percent of all income—incomes of the top 1 percent are now 42.6 times greater than the bottom 99 percent.”

The report stresses that many Connecticut working families have been left out of the economic recovery. “As the share of low-wage jobs rises, so does the challenge of raising a family,” the report states. “The jobs created in low-wage sectors not only pay less, but often provide less flexibility, less predictability and fewer benefits than jobs past.”

In the report. Connecticut Voices for Children points out that the combination of an increase in the share of low-wage jobs, slow wage growth and persistently high unemployment for minorities and workers without a college education threaten the long term well-being of the state. Data highlighted points out that “black and Hispanic workers in Connecticut make median hourly wages that are, respectively, $7.25 and $8 less than white workers’—a gap that has widened since before the Great Recession.”

Among the recommendations:  raise the minimum wage.  Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would offer relief to 336,000 workers, the report points out, which would help those the state's recovery has left farthest behind. Breaking down the demographics, the research report indicated that 60 percent of benefitting workers would be women; 31.8 percent of all black workers and 37.5 percent of all Hispanic workers would benefit.

“Changes in the state economy pose challenges for low wage workers seeking to give their children the best possible start in life,” says Ellen Shemitz, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children. “Higher unemployment and lower wages for workers of color exacerbate existing disparities in opportunity, with significant implications for both the competitiveness and fairness of our state’s economy.”

The report documents a long term shift in job and wage trends in Connecticut, with almost half of all jobs created since the start of the recovery in low-wage industries. Since 2001, the share of industries that typically pay low-wages has increased by 20 percent, while high-wage industry employment has decreased by 13 percent.

At the same time, unemployment has returned to pre-recession levels for white and college educated workers, but unemployment for workers of color and those without a college education have yet to recover.  Despite years of sustained job growth, these workers face unemployment rates that are three times higher than whites.

“Connecticut’s jobs swap has implications for individual family economic well-being and for the state’s overall revenue sufficiency,” explained Derek Thomas, Fiscal Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children and report co-author. “The first decade in the 21st-century – which includes the loss of manufacturing jobs in the early 2000s as well as the vast job losses during the Great Recession – has left the state with a sizeable high-wage jobs deficit.”

Among the reports’ key findings:

• Since 2010, unemployment has steadily declined for white and college educated workers, but not for workers of color and those without a college education. Unemployment for workers of color is nearly triple than for whites.
• Underemployment remains stubbornly high; the rate of part-time employees that would want to work full-time and workers that have given up on their job search in the past year is two times higher today that it was in 2007.
• Since 2001, the share of private-sector jobs in low-wage industries has increased by 20 percent, while the share of private-sector jobs in high-wage industries has decreased by 13 percent. Nearly half of new private sector jobs since 2010 are in low-wage industries.
• The median and bottom 10 percent of wage-earners have seen their wages decline by more than 2 percent since 2002, while the top 10 percent have experienced growth of more than 11 percent.
• Black workers’ median hourly wage is $8 lower than white workers and Hispanic workers’ median hourly wage is $7.25 lower than white workers.

Since the workplace is meeting fewer of the needs of children and families, Connecticut Voices for Children is urging state policy makers to take action to bridge the gap between wages and the growing cost of raising a family. The report recommends five key policy initiatives:

• Restore the earned income tax credit for low income workers to its original 2011 levels, allowing low wage workers to retain more of what they have earned
• Raise the minimum wage to $15, allowing low wage workers to cover their families’ basic needs
• Expand high-quality early childhood education to remove barriers to employment for parents and better prepare future generations of workers
• Strengthen infrastructure investments to ensure economic competitiveness and economy-boosting jobs
• Reform property taxes for a more equitable education system

Because workers of color are overrepresented in the low-wage industries that have driven the state’s job recovery, racial and ethnic wage gaps have widened. “The growth in low-wage industries is a double whammy for working families – not only do they pay less, but they also lack the benefits, predictability and flexibility of jobs past,” says Ray Noonan, Associate Fiscal Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children and report co-author.

Connecticut Voices for Children is a research-based policy think tank based in New Haven.  The organization’s mission is to promote the well-being of all of Connecticut's young people and their families by advocating for strategic public investments and wise public policies. To achieve these objectives, Connecticut Voices for Children produces “high quality research and analysis, promotes citizen education, advocates for policy change at the state and local level and works to develop the next generation of leaders.”

School Suspensions Down, But Students of Color, Low Income Receive Disproportionate Share

There’s good news and bad news in a new analysis of suspensions, expulsions, and arrests of students in Connecticut schools.  The report, by Connecticut Voices for Children, found that overall significantly fewer students have been excluded from the classroom in recent years, but that suspension, expulsion and arrest rates were much higher for minority students, special education students, and students from poorer districts. The report also found that “many of these discipline measures were used for behaviors that were probably not criminal and could likely have been handled within the school.”  Stressing that “children learn best when they are in school,” the report indicated that “arrests, expulsions, and suspensions are often costly, ineffective, and unnecessary.”

Connecticut Voices for Children is a research and advocacy organization that works to improve opportunities for the state’s children, youth and families. The report, “Keeping Kids in Class: School Discipline in Connecticut, 2008-2013,” uses data provided by local school districts, found that in 2013, 7.4 percent of all students received at least one expulsion or suspension, down from 8.5 percent as recently as 2011.

First, the good news:

• The number of students arrested, expelled, and suspended in Connecticut has decreased significantly in recent years. In the 2013 school year, Connecticut schools arrested 35 percent fewer students, expelled 31 percent fewer students, and gave out of school suspensions to 47 percent fewer students than in 2008.

The not-so-good news:

• Despite the overall reduction in these “exclusionary” school discipline practices, many students are still removed from the classroom for non-criminal behaviors that could, in the view of Connecticut Voices, be managed in the classroom. “School policy violations” – such as skipping class, insubordination, or using profanity – were involved in 9 percent of student arrests, 6 percent of expulsions, 50 percent of out-of-school suspensions, and 79 percent of in-school suspensions in 2013.

From 2008-2013 the percentage of students suspended out-of-school fell from 4.9% to 2.7%. During the same time period, the percentage of students suspended in-school increased from 4.9% to 5.2%.

Of particular concern was the data related to students of color and those with limited financial resources or disability:

• In 2013, black students were 4.7 times more likely to be arrested, 4.9 times more likely to be expelled, and 6.5 times more likely to be suspended out-of-school than white students.
• Hispanic students were 3.1 times more likely to be arrested, 2.6 times more likely to be expelled, and 4.4 times more likely to be suspended out-of-school than white students.
• Special education students were arrested at 3 times the rate of general education students, and they were 1.8 times more likely to be expelled, and 2.6 times more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions.
• Students in the poorest urban areas were arrested nearly 23 times more often, expelled over 17 times more often, and suspended out-of-school 24 times more often than students in the wealthiest suburban areas.

Based on the data, the report makes a series of recommendations for the state Department of Education and policymakers to consider, including:

• Require districts with police stationed in schools to create a memorandum of agreement between the schools and police that sets ground rules concerning arrests. Promote police and educator training, such as that provided by the state’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, which offers instruction to officers and educators in understanding and responding productively to adolescent behavior.
• Implement preventive strategies and alternative discipline measures to reduce racial and other disparities and ensure those excluded from school are provided equal opportunities.
• Establish and support community collaborations across the state. National studies show that engaging all stakeholders in the discipline process positively impacts student behavior and achievement.

The top 10 reasons for expulsion in 2013:  1) drug/alcohol/tobacco, 2) weapons, 3) fighting/battery, 4) personally threatening behavior, 5) school policy violations, 6) theft/theft related behaviors, 7) verbal confrontation/conduct unbecoming 8) violent crimes against persons, 9) sexually related behavior, and 10) property damage.

The report concludes that “the disproportionate rate by which students of color and students from poorer districts are excluded from school may in fact contribute to widening the achievement gap; students from less privileged backgrounds will continue to perform worse than their more advantaged peers if they are excluded from the classroom in the first place.”

The report also recommends expanding access to behavioral and mental health services and utilize Juvenile Review Boards (JRBs), locally-run groups that offer a diversionary alternative to the court system for youth who have committed minor delinquent acts or misdemeanors.  In addition, it calls for improving data collection by clearly defining “student arrests” (not currently defined by the state) and collecting and publishing data on all student arrests (currently not required for all incidents resulting in arrests).

“This report tells us that many schools in Connecticut have reformed their disciplinary practices and reduced student arrests, expulsions and out-of-school suspensions,” said Ellen Shemitz, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children. “Yet these reforms have not benefited all children equally. How can we hope to reduce the yawning achievement gap when school disciplinary practices push minority children out of school at disproportionate rates?”

New Interactive Tool Brings Focus to Cuts in State Funding of Children's Programs

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the impact of a series of interactive data visualization graphs must be, well, off the charts.  For Connecticut Voices for Children, the new online, interactive visualization tool has been designed to help the public and policymakers see how funding for children's programming in Connecticut has fallen through the years.  Coming on the brink of a new legislative session and an ever-tightening state budget, the hope is that more widespread understanding of  past trends will forestall further cuts. The new interactive tool, on the Connecticut Voices for Children website, enables visitors to track spending across nearly 100 children’s programs over 25 years.  Over the last two decades, spending on children’s programs has declined from 40% to 30% of the state budget, according to the advocacy organization.  Had the state not changed its budgeting priorities, it would have invested about $1.5 billion more each year in children’s programs—enough, for instance, to be the first state to implement a universal early care and education system, Voices points out.

The new interactive tool, created by Connecticut Voices for Children, enables users to create their own graphs of state budget trends and then embed the charts in social media, blog posts, news articles, and reports. Users, for instance, can compare the dip in state support for K-12 education to the even steeper drop in support for higher education.

Detailed budget visualizations for Fiscal Years 1990 through 2015 are available for the following areas:

• The overall Children's Budget (at right)
• Early Care and Education
• K-12 Education investments
• Children's Health and Human Services
• Debt and Fringe Benefits

In producing this resource, Connecticut Voices for Children seeks to draw attention to what they describe as "Connecticut’s long-term disinvestment in young people – a trend that is particularly troubling in a state with an aging and shrinking workforce that will result in an increasing demand for well educated, career ready young adults."

Regarding K-12 education, for example, the website points out "K-12 Education has declined substantially as a share of the General Fund since the early 1990s, from about one fifth to one seventh in the most recent budget. This decline is seen most clearly in Educational Equalization Grants, the state's main contribution to local school districts. State support for K-12 education in Connecticut is among the lowest of any state in the union. In Connecticut, we leave the large majority of education expenses up to towns, which have no major revenue source except the property tax, thus contributing to the state's high and inequitable property taxes."

The information used in creating the graphs is official appropriations data from the Connecticut legislature's non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Connecticut Voices for Children's mission is to promote the well-being of all of Connecticut's children and families by identifying and advocating for strategic public investments and wise public policies. Connecticut Voices advances its mission through high quality research and analysis, policy development, strategic communications, and establishment of a sustainable and powerful voice for children.

Jonathan's Dream Reimagined to Kick-Off Next Chapter

The original Jonathan's Dream playground, inspired by the Barzach family of West Hartford and built in 1996 as what would become the prototype for Boundless Playgrounds across the country, an inclusive, accessible play space for families and children of all abilities. It was a vibrant playground until 2013, when time and heavy usage of the wooden playground necessitated that it be taken down. But now, community leaders are back at it again, developing plans for what is described as “Jonathan's Dream Reimagined” – a new playground that will be accessible to children of all abilities - and include some new innovations for today's children.  Sunday, July 27, from 12 Noon to 3 PM,  will be the kick-off for the new effort, with free activities for children at the Mandell Jewish Community Center, site of the playground.

The new Jonathan's Dream will be designed to extend the original legacy with an engaging playground that keeps children of all ages and abilities active and moving. Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH) has convened a taskforce of alumni from its Quest and Third Age Initiative programs to help rebuild the new Jonathan's Dream, working with the Mandell JCC.. The project is also supported by Shane’s Inspiration and Jumpstart, along with a “Dream Team” of local agencies and individuals who have joined forces to advance the initiative.

Jonathan’s Dream Re-Imagined will be rebuilt three to six months after the needed funds are raised. Donations to help rebuild Jonathan’s Dream will be accepted at the July kick-off event. The project to rebuild Jonathan’s Dream is expected to cost $950,000 and, once funds are raised, will take three to six months to complete.

The original Jonathan’s Dream (photo at right), a wooden, wheelchair- accessible, inter-generational playground, was built by more than 1,000 volunteers in 1996 in memory of Jonathan Barzach, who died before his first birthday. Had Jonathan lived, he would have needed to use a wheelchair for his entire life. His family imagined that in Jonathan’s dreams, he would have wanted children of all abilities to be able to play and celebrate together.

Jonathan’s Dream was one of the first inclusive playgrounds in the country.  It led the way for the nonprofit organization Boundless Playgrounds, which coordinated the construction of similar playgrounds throughout the country.  Today, more than 100,000 children play on more than 200 Boundless Playgrounds in 31 states.

It began in Connecticut, with the inspirational leadership of Amy Barzach, Jonathan's mom. Back in 1994, she was at a playground with her two sons when she noticed a little girl in a wheelchair who could not join in the fun because the playground was not accessible to her.  A year later, she remembered that little girl when disability, then tragedy, reached her family, with Jonathan's passing.  With husband Peter and son Daniel, they began the effort to build an inclusive playground, and called it Jonathan's Dream.

To learn more about Jonathan’s Dream Reimagined please visit www.jonathansdreamreimagined.org.

Free Summer Meals Program for Children Aims to Provide Nutrition, Sustain Academic Progress

Turns out, there is a free lunch.  In fact, Connecticut’s summer meal program for children 18 and under is providing hundreds of lunches – and breakfasts.  As Governor Malloy points out in a radio commercial now being broadcast around the state, 3 in 4 Connecticut children who could receive free meals aren’t doing so.

Officials say that the absence of good nutrition over the summer – when children are out of school and school lunch programs are unavailable - may contribute to children slipping somewhat in their educational progress.  “Summer learning loss,” they say, may be caused in part by “summer nutrition loss.”  The free Summer Meals program aims to turn that around.

The statistics are startling.  There are 100,000 children in Connecticut who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to Lieut. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who helped to kickoff the statewide initiative, and joins the Governor in the radio announcement.   That is why more than 400 locations around the state,  including churches, parks, schools and even some pools, are serving free meals to children throughout the summer as part of the summer meals program and the state’s ongoing End Hunger Connecticut initiative.

A new interactive website, www.ctsummerfoods.org, was launched at the beginning of the summer that lists all the locations serving the meals.  The site allows people to simply type in a town or zip code to see a list of locations in that area that offer the meals.

Children and teens, under 18, do not have to be receiving free or reduced price school meals during the school year to eat a free, nutritious, summer meal and/or snack at participating locations.  Connecticut ranks 5th in country, as of 2012, for such programs, with  about 25% of children who are eligible are receiving the breakfasts.  “We need to do better,” said Stefan Pryor, Commissioner of the State Department of Education, when the program began just after the school year ended.

The program website notes that “Only 25.8 of every 100 low-income students that participate in school lunch also participate in summer nutrition. If participation reached 40 percent, an additional 19,558 students would be reached and that would bring an additional $1.35 million federal dollars into the state.”

By heightening visibility of this program, the Connecticut No Kid Hungry campaign and its partners aim to increase participation in the state’s 2013 summer meals program by 9 percent. Flyers and other program material is available on-line to help local organizers get the word out in their communities.

In launching the program, “Blitz Days” were held in Hartford, Groton, Naugatuck, Norwalk and Waterbury to bring attention to the initiative, which is mostly funded by the federal government.  CT News Junkie has reported that program organizers don’t ask too many questions of those coming to receive meals. Income guidelines are not required because the idea is not to discourage anyone from receiving a meal, state officials said.

Last year the state of Connecticut received $1.55 million to administer the program. The bulk of that or $1.3 million was used to purchase food. Summer meals are paid for by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Connecticut State Department of Education works with the USDA to reimburse sponsors for the summer meals they provide to children and teens, under 18, at participating summer meals locations.

For details on dates and times that meals and/or snacks are being served at particular locations, individuals can use the Location Finder, text “CTmeals” to 877877, or call, toll-free, 2-1-1.  It is anticipated that the program will continue until the start of the school year in late August.

Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Angel Ride Launch Anniversary Years

Registration has opened for this year’s Angel Ride, an all-volunteer effort that organizes annual athletic endurance events  as fundraising initiatives with 100 percent of the money raised going directly to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's Hospital Outreach Program.  This year’s events - marking the 10th anniversary of Angel Ride, amidst the 25th anniversary year of the remarkable Camp - will be held May 25-26. Angel Charitable Trust, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization,  has supported The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's Hospital Outreach Program since 2007.  Hospital Outreach® brings the hopeful, playful spirit of The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp – founded in 1988 by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman - to children and families in the hospital setting.  By offering unique, creative and developmentally appropriate activities and interactions, the program helps to restore joy and laughter in a time often laden with fear, stress and uncertainty. The Hospital Outreach Program brings the joy and fun of Camp’s summer programming to seriously ill children year-round.

This past year, 18,000 hospitalized children received a visit from "Camp". Consistent with other Camp programs, it is available to hospitals and families at no cost.  They work collaboratively with hospital staff to enhance, augment or support existing programs focused on improving the quality of life during treatment. Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center are among the hospitals in the Northeast that are participating in the program.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp recently released an inspiring song and music video to kick off its 25th anniversary as a hideout where seriously ill kids can simply be kids.  Natalie Merchant, one of America's most respected recording artists, created a new sing-a-long version of her iconic song "Wonder" and recorded it at the Camp in Ashford, Conn. this past summer with the campers. In the music video, Merchant leads the kids in song interspersed with clips of the late Paul Newman and the campers sharing what the Camp means to them.

Another newly released video highlights the connection between campers Hannah and Janis, who have formed a special bond during the past two years at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.  That bond has allowed them to face the challenges of mitochondrial disease together and experience “a different kind of healing.” The unforgettable story of their friendship brings the unique spirit of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to life in the first online “Healing Feeling” profile, which is part of a series being released during the Camp’s 25th anniversary.

"Wonder" was written by Natalie Merchant for her first solo album "Tigerlily."  The song, released as a single in 1996, reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Its lyrics contain the refrain, "They say I must be one of the wonders" and were inspired by Merchant’s own experience meeting twin sisters coping with a congenital disease. Merchant was struck by how positive the girls were as they faced significant challenges, thanks to an inner strength that she attributed to the love and support of their family and friends.

"For years, I've been told by parents of kids with special needs and medical staff and children themselves that 'Wonder' has become an anthem for sick kids. So I know the healing power of the song. I am delighted to add my voice to all the love, camaraderie and sharing that goes on at Camp.  Paul really did it so well. The Camp is a magical place."

The Camp was recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning.

Traditional DUPLO Wins Award as LEGO Expands to New Products, Classrooms and Girls

At a time when LEGO, with North American headquarters in Enfield, is rolling out new themed products, enduring criticism for its increasing commercial tie-ins, expanding classroom connections, rebounding strongly from diminished sales, and launching new lines targeting girls, the company’s very basic DUPLO line for young children is winning new praise. Faculty and student researchers at Eastern Connecticut State University have named the company’s DUPLO bricks as the 2012 TIMPANI Toy (Toys That Inspire Mindful Play and Nurture Imagination). DUPLO bricks are colorful, plastic, interlocking building bricks.  Parents and teachers know them as a larger version of the popular LEGO bricks, sized for use by preschool-aged children.

The annual study, conducted through Eastern's Center for Early Childhood Education, examines how young children in natural settings play with a variety of toys. Nine toys were selected for the 2012 TIMPANI study, based on recommendations from parents, teachers and faculty. After the toys were chosen they were placed in the CFDRC's preschool classrooms and rated on three subscales: thinking and learning, cooperation and social interaction, and self-expression and imagination.

"DUPLO bricks pose many problems for children to solve, so there's a lot of deep thought that goes into building," said Jeffrey Trawick-Smith, the Phyllis Waite Endowed Chair of Early Childhood Education at Eastern and the study's principal researcher. "Construction toys have done well overall in our studies due to the fact that they don't suggest any one use. They can be used in many different ways, so children tend to interact more and negotiate what they want to build."

That’s not the only local news for LEGO.  The company is launching a new education program, and Enfield has agreed to be the first school system to take advantage of it, The Hartford Courant has reported.  The program is modeled after a program LEGO runs in Denmark and will be available in Enfield elementary schools beginning in September 2013. The implementation of the program will be phased in over two years, with all kindergarten through grade 5 students having access to the program by Sept. 2014.

LEGO education products are already used independently by more than 9,500 schools in North America, and are said to enhance learning by sharpening creative, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.  All products, curriculum guides, laptops and software will be provided by LEGO.  The school system will also be assigned a LEGO pedagogic adviser. Over five years, LEGO hopes to reach 15,000 students in Connecticut and Massachusetts as the program grows.

It has also been reported recently that sales of the LEGO Group’s newest line of construction toys designed to appeal to girls exceeded expectations despite complaints that it reinforces gender stereotypes.  Michael McNally, brand relations director at LEGO in Enfield, told the Associated Press that the company has sold twice as much of the Lego Friends line as expected when it was introduced early this year.  Lego’s intention was to raise the number of girls who play with Lego bricks, he said. “In 2011, only 9 percent of Lego sets sold in the U.S. were intended for girls,” McNally said. “To date, 28 percent of Lego sets purchased in the U.S. have been for girls.”

LEGO’s efforts in recent years to extend the brand to books, television and video games have endured some criticism (LEGO with detailed how-to instructions?) but the company says its products are still creatively minded and aimed at driving kids “back to the playroom.”  Those decisions have apparently helped the company’s bottom line which after take a drubbing a decade ago, has seen a 17 percent increase in revenue in 2011.

Also this month, LEGO Systems, Inc. announced LEGO® Legends of Chima™, an original LEGO property set in a mythical land of magical animal tribes who compete for CHI, a valuable energy source which gives them extraordinary powers over one another. The company reports that the “story comes to life through a universe of products across the company's entire play system including classic building sets, collectible social competition kits, buildable figures and board games, and will be fueled by digital gaming.”

According to the folks at Eastern Connecticut’s TIMPANI, the basics are still best.  The university has posted a video featuring DUPLO, and young children, at play.  Eastern researchers announced the results of the 2012 TIMPANI Toy Study at the University's Child and Family Development Resource Center (CFDRC).

The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children, on sale in more than 130 countries.