Connecticut Is 2016’s 2nd Best State for Working Dads; Two Norwalk Businesses Earn Spot Among Nation’s Top 50 for New Dads

Working fathers in Connecticut are in a great place, according to a newly released analysis.  Connecticut is ranked only behind only Minnesota as the 2^nd Best State for Working Dads, a glimpse of good news as Father’s Day approaches. Nearly 93 percent of dads with kids younger than 18 in the labor force, according to the personal-finance website WalletHub, which conducted an in-depth analysis of the Best & Worst States for Working Dads.

The top 10 states were Minnesota, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Virginia and North Dakota.  At the bottom of the list were Mississippi, West Virginia, Alaska and Nevada.

WalletHub analyzed the work-life balance, health conditions, financial well-being and child-rearing environments for working dads in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, using 20 key metrics, which range from day care quality to male life expectancy.

To identify the best and worst states for working dads, WalletHub analyzed the various factors in the work-life balance that affect paternal roles in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, focused on four key dimensions of fatherhood: 1) Economic & Social Well-Being, 2) Work-Life Balance, 3) Child Care and 4) Health.  Among the 20 factors included were parental leave policy, commute time, day care quality, pediatric services, median income, unemployment rate, and mental health.

Leading to its overall ranking of second in the analysis, Connecticut was 13^th in “economic and social well-being,” third in “work-life balance,” eighth in “child care,” and third in “health.”  Among the sub-categories, Connecticut was:

• 2nd – Male Life Expectancy at Birth
• 2nd – % of Kids Younger than 18 with Dad Present Living in Poverty
• 2nd – “Parental Leave Policy” Score
• 6th – Access to Pediatric Services
• 6th – % of Men Who Report Adequate or Any Physical Activity
• 7th – Male Uninsured Rate
• 14th – Average Freshman Graduation Rate for Men
• 16th – Mortality Rate due to Heart Disease per 100,000 Men
• 17th – Mean Hours Worked per Day Among Males
• 19^th - Median Income for Families (Dad Present) with Kids Younger than 18 Years, Adjusted for Cost of Living

Among the nation’s top businesses for new dad, an analysis by the website Fatherly, determined that two Connecticut-based companies – alcoholic beverages producer Diageo and financial data and analysis provider FactSet, earned slots in the top 50.  Fatherly is a digital lifestyle guide for men entering parenthood.

Just a handful of states had companies on the list:  California (18), New York (9), Oregon (4), Massachusetts (3) and Georgia, North Carolina, Washington DC, and Connecticut, with two each.

Norwalk’s Diageo ranked 34^th, and was praised for policies that include “employees receive up to 8 hours of school activity leave (up to 40 hours per year) so you won’t have to miss your kid’s big game or school play.”  FactSet, headquartered in Norwalk, ranked 46^th.  The company was praised because it “recently upped it’s paternity leave from one week to 4.”  FactSet has 8,000 employees in 21 countries.  Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with iconic brands in spirits, beer and wine, producing well-known brands from more than 200 sites in over 30 countries.

The top companies were Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Patagonia, Bank of America, Pinterest, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Airbnb, Johnson & Johnson, Accenture, MasterCard, Intuit and Intel.

In addition, nine small businesses described as “leading the way,” were change.org (San Francisco), Laughing Planet Café (Portland), Upworthy (New York), Blue Corona (Maryland),  Badger Balm (New Hampshire), Square Root (Austin), Able Lending (Austin), Happy Family (New York) and ustwo (New York).

When Fatherly’s 50 Best Places To Work For New Dads was a year ago, nearly half the companies featured offered between one and 2 weeks of paid leave to fathers. Twelve months later, 7.5 weeks is the average, 35 percent of companies offer between 6 and 8 weeks, and another 12 companies offer between 10 weeks and a full year, the website pointed out, attributing much of the increase to tech companies, which make up nearly a third of companies on the top 50 list.

Data used to create the WalletHub report were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Council for Community and Economic Research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Partnership for Women & Families, the American Urological Association, the Social Science Research Council, Child Care Aware of America and WalletHub research.

Six State Commissions, Victims of Budget Consolidations, Disappear After Decades-Long Record of Achievement

After 43 years, the ironically-named Permanent Commission on the Status of Women began the organization’s final newsletter with an ironic observation:  “the PCSW had its most successful legislative session ever, celebrating the passage of four bills instrumental in protecting women's health and safety.” The PCSW is one of six legislative commissions eliminated in a last-minute budget compromise at the end of the legislative session a month ago.  The six ceased to exist on Thursday (June 9).  In their place will be two Commissions, each a mash-up of three of the organizations.

Wiped from the roster of state agencies are the PCSW, Legislative Commission on Aging, Commission on Children, Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, African American Affairs Commission and Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission.  Replacing them will be the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors and a Commission that merges the Latino, African-American and Asian Pacific American Commissions.

All staff members were effectively laid off, some applied for the handful of jobs that are to exist in support of the new Commissions.  The volunteer Commissioners will be holdovers, meaning that 63 Commissions will remain in place to set policy direction.

The 23 year old Commission on Aging was eliminated as Connecticut rapidly approaches a new, long-term reality—older adults will comprise an increasingly large proportion of the population.  At least 20 percent of almost every town’s population in the state will be 65 years of age or older by 2025, with some towns exceeding 40 percent.  Already, Connecticut is the 7^th oldest state in the nation.

The Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, the most recent of the six, was established in 2008 to respond to a growing population in Connecticut.  With the smallest budget, the agency struggled to gain traction, and was just beginning to fulfill its mission when the end arrived.  Connecticut's Asian American population grew from 95,368 in 2000 to 157,088 in 2010 – a 65% increase. Asians represent the majority minority in 40 percent of Connecticut school districts, according to the Commission. 

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women was formed in 1973 to study and improve Connecticut women’s economic security, health and safety; to promote consideration of qualified women to leadership positions; and to work toward the elimination of gender discrimination.

Over the next four decades, the organization played a pivotal role in the passage of more than 50 significant pieces of legislation, often placing Connecticut at the forefront of progress towards greater justice or equal treatment for women.

That was certainly true in 2016, in what turned out to be, as was once said in a different context, the best of times and the worst of times.  This year, PCSW advocated for major initiatives that gained legislative approval:

• Allow judges to remove firearms during temporary restraining orders in domestic violence;
• Make affirmative consent the standard for investigating alleged campus sexual assaults;
• Establish a working group to study possible labor violations in the nail salon industry;
• Eliminate the discriminatory tax on feminine hygiene products and diapers;
• Dramatically strengthen anti-trafficking laws by: shifting the focus of arrests in prostitution cases to the "demand side"; raising penalties against buyers of sex; removing the "mistake of age" defense; and requiring hotels and motels to keep records of those who rent rooms by the hour; and
• Give judges authority to remove parental rights from rapists in cases of clear and convincing evidence of sexual assault resulting in pregnancy.

Established in 1997, the mission of the African-American Affairs Commission (AAAC) was to improve and promote the economic development, education, health and political well-being of the African-American community in the State of Connecticut.  The Commission has been at the forefront of a range of issues impacting the African American community in Connecticut, and its demise occurs when race relations and equal opportunity remain under heavy scrutiny in Connecticut and across the country.   

Glenn A. Cassis Executive Director of the African-American Affairs Commission, when the consolidation plan was announced, said merging the panels will cause "irreparable damage to the African-American community in Connecticut."

"The elimination of AAAC tells the African-American community that their issues are not important to the state,'' Cassis wrote in an open letter to the leaders of the General Assembly. "The message that resonates is that despite the successful efforts of the past to eliminate the disparities that exist for this constituency in education, health, economic development, criminal justice and incarceration, and social well-being have become marginalized. Years of progress made has been cut short from being fully impacted to the level that this growing segment of Connecticut’s population deserves and expects."

The Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission (LPRAC) was created by an act of the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) in 1994. This 21 member non-partisan commission is mandated to make recommendations to the CGA and the Governor for new or enhanced policies that will foster progress in achieving health, safety, educational success, economic self-sufficiency, and end discrimination in Connecticut.  As of 2014, the state’s Hispanic population exceeded 500,000, about 15 percent of the state’s overall population.

In an Open Letter, LPRAC Executive Director Werner Oyanadel said “The decision to eliminate LRPAC does not in any way diminish the significant pride of the Commissioners and LPRAC staff, present and past, in the far-reaching and often ground-breaking work that has been accomplished to advance the quality of life for our state’s steadily growing Latino population.”  He added that “the end of a distinguished and impactful decades-long history does not diminish or eviscerate the landmark laws, policy-changing research and enduring impact of LPRAC on countless families, businesses and individuals of Hispanic heritage, and all the citizens of Connecticut.”

The Commission on Children, established in 1985, was borne of the legislature’s desire for the development of “policies that would ensure the health, safety, and education of Connecticut children.”  Said long-time Executive Director Elaine Zimmerman: “We feel we’ve succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest hopes, taking a leading role in issues as important—and diverse—as closing the achievement gap in reading, school climate, immunization, disaster planning for families, school readiness, children’s mental health, home visitation, youth employment, equity, and poverty reduction.”

One of the testimonials on the PCSW website, said succinctly: “The commission boldly tackles the issues that matter to my survival and prosperity! Their work to identify and eradicate inequality (whether of the deliberate kind or not), to serve as a public voice for women’s issues which are underrepresented in all public spheres, and to engage the public is integral in working toward a fair and just society.”

Regarding the state’s Latino population, Oyanadel said “the successor combined Commission will not be nearly the same; we can only hope that its impact will not be diluted or weakened, though we are concerned that our community will have a softer voice advocating for those issues of particular importance in and impact on the Latino community.”

Back in 2011, when consolidations and eliminations were under consideration by legislators, but ultimately not approved, as was the case repeatedly since the 2008 recession, Gov. Malloy told the CT Mirror: "If they asked my advice, I'd consolidate a bunch of them."

And in 2016, it came to pass.

National Recognition for Charter Oak, Quinnipiac, Fairfield As State Stand-outs

Charter Oak State College, Connecticut’s public online college, has been ranked #2 of 100 colleges scored in the recently compiled Best College for Returning Adults. The national rank was awarded by College Factual and reported on the Forbes.com website. “We are very proud of this ranking. It speaks to the flexibility of and demand for our online workforce relevant programs, such as our new Master of Science in Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership, and the intense and successful focus on our mission of helping adults complete college degrees,” said Ed Klonoski, President, Charter Oak State College.

College Factual’s rankings specifically address “non-traditional students who actually make up the majority of degree-seekers” and include the following categories: students returning to college after dropping out or transferring; working adults seeking flexible options; students seeking distance learning options; and professional who want to utilize life experience to earn college credit.

Of Charter Oak, the website indicated “about 80% of the public school’s students are part-timers, and its online courses in liberal arts studies are among its most popular for returning adults.”  Factors deemed as “high importance” by College Factual were accreditation and early career salary boost.

Founded in 1973, Charter Oak State College is Connecticut’s only public online college, offering associate and bachelor’s degree completion programs in high-demand fields including Health Information Management, Health Care Administration, Cyber Security and Business Administration.

Another Connecticut school has received national recognition, as Military Times ranked the School of Business at Quinnipiac University as the best business school for veterans in Connecticut and the 24th best in the nation, according to its Best for Vets: Business Schools 2016 rankings.

The organization, made up of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times, focused on culture and curriculum that cater to military veterans when conducting and scoring the fourth annual Best for Vets: Business Schools survey, a highly respected analysis of a graduate business school's complete offerings for veterans. As with all of the Best for Vets rankings, Best for Vets: Business Schools is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an institution a good fit for military veterans.

"Veterans have told us they were attracted to a business degree because it wouldn't tie them down to a certain industry," said Amanda Miller, editor of Best for Vets. "The survey lets us recognize the graduate business schools with close military connections that truly take vets' success to heart."

Matthew O'Connor, dean of the School of Business, said, "The School of Business is proud to be selected as a 2016 Best for Vets Business School by the Military Times. As an AACSB-accredited business school, we offer a wide variety of high-quality business programs and student services”

He added, “Our excellent internship program and enviable track record for helping graduates secure full-time employment is particularly attractive to veterans. Quinnipiac is proud of the service of military personnel and veterans and celebrates the contributions they make to our University."

The rankings were published in full in the issues of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times and online.

Quinnipiac University also recently announced that the Hamden-based university will be adding a School of Engineering in the fall, breaking off from what has been the School of Business and Engineering, which offered engineering courses to students during the past four years.  The School of Engineering becomes that university’s ninth school leading to a bachelor of science degrees. It will of offer engineering degrees in civil, industrial, mechanical, software engineering and computer science.

Dr. Justin Kile has been appointed the founding dean of the new school after previously serving as Quinnipiac’s associate dean of engineering since 2013. He will guide the school through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology’s yearlong approval process.

Regarding business schools in the state, Bloomberg recently concuded a study of the best U.S. undergraduate business schools, ranking Fairfield No. 1 in Connecticut with an overall national ranking of 43rd.The school jumped 15 spots from last year's rankings.

The other Connecticut business schools on the list were University of Connecticut, ranked 72^nd; Quinnipiac University, 91^st; Sacred Heart University, 92^nd; University of Hartford, 101st; and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, ranked at number 104. The elements that contributed to the rankings included an employer survey, student survey, starting salaries of graduates and internships available as part of the curriculum.

Another distinction for Fairfield University: the school is among nine universities nationwide to receive accreditation from the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and its affiliate, the Center for Effective Reading Instruction, for having met the standards outlined in IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading.

The Certificate of Advanced Study (6th year), Reading and Language Development program in GSEAP received the designation.

The IDA Standards provide a framework for course content in university and other teacher preparation programs, offering research-supported documentation of what teachers ought to know and be able to demonstrate when teaching dyslexic students.  The standards also apply to the teaching of other struggling readers or the general student population.

The goal of the standards initiative is to promote consistent and high-quality teacher preparation to improve outcomes for those who struggle with written language. Fairfield’s Sixth Year Professional Certificate in Reading and Language Development is open to those who have received their master’s in education degree.

"We are very excited about this national recognition from IDA. Elementary teachers and even Reading Specialists are not prepared with the tools and training to diagnose and intervene with children with dyslexia; this program addresses that," said Robert Hannafin, Phd., Dean of GSEAP. "We are committed to helping all students read and particularly struggling readers."

Number of Special Education Students in CT Schools Continues to Increase, Data Shows

The number of Connecticut students in kindergarten through 12^th grade with disabilities eligible for special education and related services has increased by nearly 6,000 between the 2008-09 school year and the current school year, as the overall student population has dropped by more than 32,500 students in that time. Data included in a new website developed by the Connecticut State Department of Education indicates that the prevalence of special education in Connecticut schools has increased from 11.6 percent of students to 13.4 percent of students over the past seven years.

The prevalence of autism has doubled in the overall school population, from eight-tenths of one percent in 2008-09 to 1.6 percent in the current year.  The percentage of students with learning disability has also increased, while the percentage with speech or language impairment has dropped, as a percentage of the overall student population.

Overall, the Special Education K-12 count in 2008-09 was 64,187 students.  In the 2015-16 school year, the number has climbed to 70,055, an eight percent increase, even as the total student count has gone from 555,411 to 522,906.

The website points out that “Prevalence rate is a statistic about the identification of students with disabilities eligible for special education and related services,” adding that “Connecticut has seen increases in the number and percent of students with disabilities statewide over the last five years.”

The site also notes that the overall decreasing public school enrollment causes the prevalence rate to appear to grow at a must faster rate than one would perceive from actual special education count data.

Connecticut State Department of Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell launched the new website, www.edsight.ct.gov, in late April.  It is designed to strengthen transparency and streamline online access to important school and district information.  The site integrates information from over 30 different sources – some reported by districts and others from external sources.

“The launch of our new data portal is a critical step in our mission to ensure all Connecticut students have access to the kind of high-quality education that prepares them for success in college, career and civic life,” Commissioner Wentzell said.

Over the coming months, additional information and reports will be made accessible to the public through this portal. The site is the culmination of more than two years of work and development by the Department with support from important partners, including the state Department of Administrative Services.

The Department also joined the world of social media last week with the launch of an official Facebook page and Twitter account. The Department’s Facebook page address is http://www.facebook.com/ctdepartmentofeducation. On Twitter, the Department is @EducateCT.

Noah and Sophia Were CT's Most Popular Newborn Names in 2015

Connecticut’s most frequent names for newborns in 2015 were Noah and Sophia, according to the Social Security Administration.  Nationwide, Noah topped the list for boys, but Emma was number one for girls. Among the baby girls, Connecticut’s top three names selected were Sophia, Emma and Olivia.  Nationwide, the names were the same but the order was different – Emma, Olivia and Sophia.

Among the boys, Mason was number 2 in Connecticut and number 3 nationwide. Alexander, Connecticut’s third most popular name for boys, placed eighth nationally.

In 2014, Mason and Olivia topped the list of most popular baby names in Connecticut, with Noah, Alexander, Emma and Sophia not far behind.  In 2013, Olivia again was atop the girls list, but William ranked first among the baby boys.

The source of the data is a 100 percent sample based on Social Security card application data.

The top 10 names for boys in Connecticut in 2015 were Noah, Mason, Alexander, Liam, Benjamin, Jacob, William, Michael, Logan and Matthew.  For girls, Connecticut’s top 10 were Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Mia, Charlotte, Emily, Abigail, and Madison.

Since the beginning of this decade, as most elementary school teachers can likely attest, the most popular boys names in the U.S. are Jacob, Noah, Mason, William and Ethan; for girls, the leaders have been Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia and Ava.  In the first decade of this century, the top names were Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew and Daniel for boys; Emily, Madison, Emma, Olivia, and Hannah for girls.

A century ago, the list was very different.

The top girls names between 1900 and 1909 were Mary, Helen, Margaret, Anna, Ruth, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Marie, Florence, and Mildred: among the boys it was John, William, James, George, Charles, Robert, Joseph, Frank, Edward and Thomas.

CT Ranked Third Best State for Working Moms

Despite ranking 37^th in professional opportunities for women and 12^th in child care, Connecticut has been ranked as the third best state for working moms on the strength of a number one ranking in “work-life balance," according to a new analysis from the financial website WalletHub. With Mother’s Day just days away, the WalletHub analysis revealed 2016’s Best & Worst States for Working Moms.

The top five states were Vermont, Minnesota, Connecticut, North Dakota and Massachusetts.  Vermont also ranked first in child care, and was the top-ranked state (after D.C.) in professional opportunities.  At the bottom of the list, considered the worst states for working moms, were Alaska, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama and Nevada.

The website also noted that “women still earn only $0.79 for every dollar that men make and have far less upward mobility, as evidenced by the fact that only 4 percent of S&P 500 companies’ chief executives are female.”

WalletHub’s analysts compared the attractiveness of each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to a working mother, using 13 key metrics such as median women’s salary, female unemployment rate and day-care quality.

Connecticut’s ranking across the categories included in the survey ranked from second in parental leave policy to 24^th in the ratio of female to male executives.  The state’s rankings by category, in the WalletHub analysis:

• 2nd – Parental Leave Policy
• 6th – % of Single-Mom Families in Poverty
• 6th – Access to Pediatric Services
• 8th – Length of Average Woman’s Workday
• 9th – WalletHub’s “Best School Systems” Ranking
• 24th – Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives

The Child Care metrics included Day-Care Quality, Child-Care Costs, Access to Pediatric Services, and WalletHub’s “Best School Systems” Ranking.   The Professional Opportunities category included Gender Pay Gap, Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives, Median Women’s Salary, Percentage of Families in Poverty, Female Unemployment Rate, and Gender-Representation Gap in Different Economic Sectors.   The Work-Life Balance category included Parental Leave Policy, Length of the Average Woman’s Work Week, and Women’s Average Commute Time.

Data used to create these rankings, according to WalletHub, were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Child Care Aware® of America, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Council for Community and Economic Research, National Partnership for Women & Families and WalletHub research.

Link Literacy and Social-Emotional Skills to Improve Children’s Success in School, Report Urges

Experts agree that there is a deep connection between social-emotional development and literacy in children’s early school success including achieving reading proficiency in the early grades – and it turns out that the benefits of effectively making those connections sooner rather than later are significant, and can endure for a lifetime. A new report from the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut (CHDI), “Connecting Social and Emotional Health and Literacy: Critical for Early School Success,” explores the interplay between young children's social-emotional development and early literacy and language skills, and “elevates awareness of the connections between these essential competencies,” according to CHDI and the report’s researchers.

The detailed 36-page report provides examples of linking strategies and outlines recommendations with the goal of accelerating actions by states and communities to advance children's readiness for school and successful educational achievement.

“Early cognitive and social-emotional skills are interactive and woven together - like strands of a rope,” notes Ann Rosewater, lead author of the report and co-leader of the Connecticut Peer Learning Pilot on Social-Emotional Development and Early Literacy. “The strategies and tools in this report will help communities implement approaches to align children’s literacy and social emotional health.”

The report urges a series of coordinated state actions to advance the linkage and integration of supports for children’s social-emotional health and learning:

• Align systems that address social-emotional development and literacy
• Increase support and education for parents
• Invest in professional development for those working with young children
• Institute universal and routine screening for social-emotional development and
• appropriate follow-up
• Expand the reach of evidence-based practices and programs
• Focus attention on special populations

The recommendations are drawn from the experiences of nine communities in Connecticut that explored researched-based strategies over the past year, to link supports for social-emotional and literacy skills. The effort was part of the Connecticut Peer Learning Pilot on Social-Emotional Development and Early Literacy, developed and led by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, in partnership with the National Center for Children in Poverty and with support from the Irving Harris Foundation and others.

Participating community teams represented Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund Discovery Initiative coalitions from Bridgeport, Colchester, Danbury, Enfield, Norwalk, Torrington, Vernon, West Hartford, and Winchester.  Their involvement, according to the report, “catalyzed notable progress in most participating communities, building on significant efforts their collaboratives had undertaken before engaging in the initiative.”  The communities “found reinforcement, inspiration and impetus to pursue as vigorously as their circumstances allowed strategies that recognized and promoted the relationship between children’s social-emotional health and literacy and language skills,” the report concluded.

In addition to urging state action, based on these experiences the report highlighted steps that can be taken at the community level to promote school success by reflecting the understanding that literacy and social-emotional development build on and reinforce each other.

Promising strategies used by communities include the following:

• Raise community awareness and reinforce community efforts to integrate social emotional and literacy skills fundamental to success in school and life
• Promote nurturing parent-child relationships, which are essential to children’s social-emotional development and can simultaneously stimulate literacy learning
• Screen for social-emotional competencies, with appropriate follow up and intervention
• Enhance home visiting and book distribution programs
• Incorporate professional development related to the connections between social-emotional development and literacy for those working with young children
• Promote attendance in early education programs and the early grades
• Support special populations, particularly children living in poverty, dual language learners or those faced with potentially unstable environments (foster care or homelessness)

The report indicates that “Far too many children are at a disadvantage in their development because they lack the language and literacy competencies they need to enter kindergarten, significantly hobbling their success in reading proficiently by the end of third grade. Disparities begin as early as infancy and become more pronounced in the toddler years, with children from families below 200 percent of poverty scoring lower than children from higher income families on measures of cognitive development.”

The report goes on to state that “At kindergarten entry age, only 48 percent of poor children are ready for school, compared to 75 percent of children from families with moderate or high income.”

The Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut (CHDI), a subsidiary of the Children’s Fund of Connecticut, is a not-for-profit organization established to promote and maximize the healthy physical, behavioral, emotional, cognitive and social development of children throughout Connecticut.  CHDI works to ensure that children in Connecticut, particularly those who are disadvantaged, will have access to and make use of a comprehensive, effective, community-based health and mental health care system.