Health and Safety Among Top Concerns in Choosing Childcare, Survey Finds

When choosing a childcare or preschool, many parents try to gather information to make their decision. Yet only 54 percent of parents were very confident that they could tell if a childcare option would be safe and healthy for their child, according to a new national survey.  Beyond that challenge, 2 out of 3 parents said it’s hard to find childcare options with the characteristics they want. In selecting a childcare or preschool, parents consider a variety of health, safety, educational, or practical factors. Overall, 62 percent of parents agreed that it’s hard to find childcare options with the characteristics they want. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked about these factors in a national sample of parents of children age 1-5 years who attend childcare or preschool.

Nearly half of parents reported their child currently attends preschool (48%), while the other half reported their child attends either a childcare center (25%) or in-home childcare (27%) for at least 5 hours per week.  Most parents (88%) felt that childcare centers and in-home childcare providers should have the same health and safety standards.  Parents selected up to 5 factors they would consider most important when choosing a childcare or preschool. The top 5 factors differed by the child’s current setting:

• Preschool: staff background checks (45%), active play every day (40%), doors locked (38%), staff have early childhood training (30%), and safe outdoor play area (30%)
• Childcare center: staff background checks (46%), staff have early childhood training (42%), doors locked (36%), cost (33%), and location/hours (32%)
• Home childcare: healthy foods served (28%), active play every day (28%), books/educational toys (27%), kitchen area cleaned (26%), and staff background checks (24%)

Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood provides information on its website, including a “Child Care Checklist for Parents,” to assist in choosing a child daycare program. It suggests asking if the program is licensed, ensuring that unannounced visits are permitted, that there is adequate staff and that the program is safe.  The website also includes an “online lookup tool” to determine licensing status for family child care home providers, group child care homes, child care centers, family child care home staff-substitutes and assistants and youth camps.

A report published last month by Connecticut Voices for Children indicated that for more than a decade, Connecticut has made expanding early care and education programs and wrap-around supports a priority. The state has increased funding for early childhood programs for low-income families and communities,"making a real, sustained effort to build a strong infrastructure to support the early childhood system. Increased spending has increased both the availability and the quality of care."  Those efforts, the study found, "have begun to pay off in terms of both access and quality of care." 

The 39-page report indicated that: • Almost four in every five four-year-olds enroll in preschool. As of 2016, nearly 80% of four-year-olds were enrolled in preschool, an increase of six percentage points since 2005. • Disparities in preschool access have narrowed. The gap in preschool experience rates between the large urban districts and the wealthiest suburban districts has narrowed from 40 percent in 2003 to just 26 percent in 2016. • State programs are serving more infants and toddlers. Head Start and Child Day Care Centers have shifted to address more of the state’s need for infant and toddler care. Combined, they serve almost 80% more infants and toddlers in 2016 than in 2005.

The report stressed, however, that as of 2016, center-based infant/toddler care is affordable to only 25 percent of Connecticut families with a young child. Child care for two young children is affordable to only seven percent of such families.  The need for infant/toddler care "continues to vastly outstrip statewide capacity,"  and community wealth "continues to predict both preschool access and later test scores."

In the national poll, parents identified deal-breakers in selecting childcare – characteristics that would eliminate a preschool or childcare from their consideration. Over half said location in a sketchy area or a gun on the premises would be a deal-breaker; others were: non-staff adults on the premises, unvaccinated children allowed to attend, and having a staff person who smoked.

Some factors rated as most important by the Mott Poll parents may be reflected in the policies of the facility. These include whether staff undergo background checks prior to hiring, whether staff have early childhood certification or training, and whether child and staff members must be vaccinated. For many preschools and childcare centers, this type of information can be found on the facility’s website; it may be more difficult to find such information for in-home childcare providers, the poll analysis pointed out.

Connecticut Among Leaders in Addressing Cyberbullying, Bullying Among Youth

Connecticut's anti-bullying laws and relatively low number of reported cyberbullying incidents have earned it a spot as one of the top three safest states from cyberbullying, according to a new national survey.   Nationwide at least 34 percent of kids have been cyberbullied, but the precise percentages vary from state to state. A new survey developed by Frontier Communications, marking Child Safety & Prevention Month, assesses the relative safety across the nation.  Based on an analysis of six weighted factors (including school sanctions for cyberbullying, existing state bullying laws, school discipline for off-campus behavior, and the percentage of students in grades 9–12 that have reported being cyberbullied), ten states are said to be addressing the issue head on: Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, DC.

In contrast, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ohio provide the fewest legal protections against cyberbullying. For example, most of these states don’t have a specific state statute that allows schools to discipline students for off-campus behavior, according to the survey analysis.

The U.S. Department of Health (DOH) defines bullying as repeated “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school children that involves a real or perceived imbalance.” Bullying can involve making threats, spreading rumors, physically attacking someone, or purposely excluding someone from an activity.

Bullying and cyberbullying are major problems - over 3 million students are bullied every year, which contributes to over 160,000 days of absences by students from school, according to Derek Peterson, CEO of Digital Fly, a technology company based on Long Island.

“This is bad for the student, schools, communities, states and our nation,” he said, emphasizing that states have the ability to lead, create policies for reporting, tracking, educating, preventing and punishing those involved in bullying and cyber bullying.

Connecticut’s “An Act Concerning the Strengthening of School Bullying Laws,” Senate Bill 1138 signed into law in 2011, defines "Cyberbullying" as any act of bullying through the use of the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, cellular mobile telephone or other mobile electronic devices or any electronic communications…” The law states that school policies must “include provisions addressing bullying outside of the school setting if such bullying (A) creates a hostile environment at school for the victim, (B) infringes on the rights of the victim at school, or (C) substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school…”

Testifying in support of the Connecticut legislation, state Victim Advocate Michelle Cruz said “we now know the long lasting and devastating effects that bullying behavior can have on victims, bystanders and even bullies.”  She cited a study by the Family and Work Institute that reported one-third of children are bullied at least once a month, while six out of ten teens witnessed bullying at least once a day.

Attorney General George Jepsen noted that “Students no longer have the refuge of home.  Technology makes students easily accessible through cell phones, social networking sites, and online gaming systems long after school closes.”  In advocating for the legislation, he said efforts must aim to prevent school from being a “hostile environment for the student” that “impacts their ability to learn and thrive.”  And, he added, those efforts must continue when the student leaves the school building.

The DOH defines cyberbullying as “bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets” and can include any number of activities:

• Spreading rumors online or through texts
• Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages
• Posting a mean or hurtful video or picture
• Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person
• Taking unflattering pictures of a person and sharing them online
• Sexting, or circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person

Recent statistics show that more than a third of children and teens have experienced cyberbullying, according to the Frontier analysis.  Data is available from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Cyberbullying Research Center.

Local Foundation Receives Major Grant to Expand Suicide-Prevention Program Nationally

The Hartford-based Jordan Porco Foundation has been selected as one of 13 non-profit organizations to receive a $100,000 grant from the Alkermes Inspiration Grants program. The grant will support Fresh Check Day, which is an uplifting mental health fair that builds a campus community around mental health and suicide prevention through engaging peer-to-peer education. Fresh Check Day, the foundation’s signature program, creates an approachable atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogues about mental health, and it helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources that exist on campus, in the community, and on a national level. Research supports that peer-to-peer education is one of the most effective ways to educate students, especially when the subject is suicide and mental health.

Since the first event in 2012, Fresh Check Day has grown exponentially, expanding throughout Connecticut, New England and nationwide.  There are now 26 colleges and universities in Connecticut that offer the program, and nearly 150 schools in 37 states.

“We are thankful to be awarded this grant in support of our signature program, Fresh Check Day. It helps in our national expansion and efforts to reach more young adults with our critical message of hope,” said Marisa Giarnella-Porco, President and CEO of the Jordan Porco Foundation.

The mission of the Jordan Porco Foundation, a 501(c) (3) public charity, is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults. They accomplish this by providing engaging and uplifting peer-run programs. Their programs strive to start a conversation about mental health that reduces stigma while encouraging help-seeking and supportive behaviors.

“Addiction and mental illness affect millions of people and their families every day, and require an integrated approach to treatment that is scalable in communities across the country,” said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. “Medicines play a role, but importantly, it is the innovative programs, like the Jordan Porco Foundation, designed to support people affected by these diseases and led by passionate leaders on the front lines that will ignite sustainable and meaningful change for patients.”

The primary goals of Fresh Check Day are to:

• Increase awareness of mental health resources and services available to students
• Challenge stigma and misconceptions around mental health and suicide that often deter individuals from seeking help
• Empower peers to be gatekeepers by understanding warning signs and knowing what to do if a friend is exhibiting signs of suicide or a mental health concern
• Increase willingness to ask for help if experiencing emotional distress

Now in its second year, Alkermes Inspiration Grants focuses on two key areas: improving or enhancing support or resources for people affected by mental health concerns or substance use disorder, and/or integrating the perspective of people affected by mental health concerns or addiction into drug development or care delivery. Alkermes is a global biopharmaceutical company with a “steadfast commitment” to developing innovative medicines for central nervous system (CNS) diseases.  The company has facilities in Ireland and the United States.

https://youtu.be/z_AQ5LJgVnQ

The Difference A Dollar Makes: UConn Research Finds Minimum Wage Increase Reduces Maltreatment of Children

It has been nearly a year since a study co-authored by UConn Assistant Professor of Public Policy Kerri M. Raissian appeared in the academic journal Children and Youth Services Review, but the interest hasn’t waned.  In fact, it now tops the list of downloaded articles in the past 90 days from the journal’s website. The article, which Raissian co-authored with Lindsey Rose Bullinger, asks – and answers – this question:  Does the minimum wage affect child maltreatment rates?

Short answer, according to their research:  yes. 

Raising the minimum wage by $1 per hour would result in a substantial decrease in the number of reported cases of child neglect, according to a study co-authored by Raissian and Bullinger.  They reviewed eleven years of records on child abuse and neglect and found that increases in the minimum wage correlate with declining child maltreatment rates.

A $1 increase would result in 9,700 (9.6 percent) fewer reported cases of child neglect annually as well as a likely decrease in cases of physical abuse, Bullinger explained on the website sciencedaily.com, where their study was featured earlier this year. This decline is concentrated among young children (ages 0–5) and school-aged children (ages 6–12); the effect diminishes among adolescents and is not significant, the study’s abstract points out.

“Our results suggest that policies that increase incomes of the working poor can improve children's welfare, especially younger children, quite substantially,” the authors conclude in their 70-page article on the study.

"Money matters," Bullinger noted on sciencedaily.com. "When caregivers have more disposable income, they're better able to provide a child's basic needs such as clothing, food, medical care and a safe home. Policies that increase the income of the working poor can improve children's welfare, especially younger children, quite substantially."

More than 30 states had minimum wages exceeding the federal requirement by an average of $1 during the study period, allowing the researchers to track changes in the number of reports to child protective service agencies with increases in the minimum wage.  Data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System was used in the research.

The substantial decrease in child neglect cases is concentrated among toddlers and school-age children, but changes in the minimum wage had little impact on reports of neglect of teenagers. The researchers found no variation based on a child's race.

“Families with low incomes have a great ability to make a dollar go a long way. On average, the weekly SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) food stamp benefit for a family of three is about $30. That’s about what a one dollar an hour minimum wage increase translates into for full-time workers. Other studies show that a $1,000 tax refund results in similar declines in child maltreatment – neglect, specifically. So for really low-income families that probably have pretty severe material deprivation or economic hardship, that extra dollar can make a really big difference,” Raissian told UConn Today.

Raissian’s research interests are linked by a common focus on child and family policy, according to the university’s website.  Her dissertation, “Assessing the Role and Impact of Public Policy on Child and Family Violence,” evaluated the efficacy of policies designed to reduce violence directed towards intimate partners, children, and other family members. Her professional background includes nearly 10 years of government and nonprofit sector experience, which focused on serving abused adults and children.

Bullinger is associate instructor in the school of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University at Bloomington.  Both attended Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

“Most of the states don’t have a minimum wage at or above $10; Connecticut does. It’s possible Connecticut may be at the threshold,” Raissian said in an interview featured in UConn Today. “It’s also really important to note that, while our study looks at the minimum wage, this could really be an income story – remember other studies find similar results when incomes are increased in other ways. Our very low-income families might be facing other reductions in their incomes that will be costly to us as a state. We should consider that, moving forward.”

Feds Urged to Complete Study Assessing Safety of Crumb Rubber Playing Fields, Playgrounds

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  That’s not only a well-worn adage from youth, it is apparently the game plan for Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and his multi-year quest for a comprehensive federal study of the health risks of crumb rubber turf, a surface made of recycled tires that is widely used on playgrounds and athletics fields in Connecticut and nationwide. Blumenthal, along with colleagues in the Senate, are this week urging a federal task force to finish a long-overdue study into potential health risks.  The crumb rubber used in artificial turf fields is mainly composed of recycled tires, which contain man-made and natural rubber, according to the state Department of Public Health.  Chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be found in the crumb rubber.  Crumb rubber can also contain heavy metals such as zinc and copper.

After a year and a half, WTNH-TV reported, the Senators are convinced progress on a comprehensive federal study has stalled.

It isn’t the first time that Blumenthal has been a lead voice to prompt action.  In November 2015 Blumenthal and Senate colleague Bill Nelson of Florida urged the Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a study.  In March 2016, Blumenthal was among those urging Congress and the President to allocate sufficient funds to conduct the study.  “Parents deserve to know if there is a danger to their children playing on these fields,” he said that month at a news conference held at Yale University.

A synthetic turf study was undertaken in 2016 by four United States agencies  — EPA, Consumer Products Safety Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry — which has yet to be finalized.

With it’s completion in doubt, Blumenthal is highlighting the imperative to get scientific answers to guide communities that are considering how best to replace natural grass or other types of field surfaces.  It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 artificial-turf surfaces in use across the country.

Earlier this year, plans for a crumb rubber synthetic turf field in North Haven brought local opposition. The town decided to go forward with the less controversial encapsulated crumb-rubber infill over the traditional crumb rubber option, according to an article on the controversy published this month in The Atlantic.

Last year, Hamden opted not to go ahead with plans for crumb rubber, switching to a mix of cork shavings and coconut husk, called “GeoFill,” along with a “shock pad” in response to safety concerns. Bloomfield High School installed a synthetic turf field, South Windsor decided to use acrylic-coated sand instead of crumb rubber.  Madison and Guilford are also among the communities with crumb rubber surfaces for fields or playgrounds, according to published reports.

Testifying at the Connecticut State Capitol earlier this year, medical staff from the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, urged that “Until the findings of these studies are available and conclusively demonstrate the safety of recycled rubber playground surfaces, we recommend a ban on the use of these materials where children play.”

Legislation that would have prohibited the installation of ground cover that contains shredded or ground rubber recycled from motor vehicle tires in municipal and public school playgrounds in Connecticut was approved by two legislative committees (Committee on Children, Committee on Planning & Development) in March, but the proposal was not considered by the full legislature in the session that concluded in June.

Blumenthal first became concerned about the artificial surface when his children were playing on the crumb-rubber athletic fields.  “I became concerned as a parent, as much as a public official, ten years ago, and at first was somewhat skeptical, but now very firmly believe that we need an authoritative, real study about what’s in these fields,” Blumenthal told ABC News two years ago.

The state Department of Public Health (DPH) website points out that “the advantages of these fields include less maintenance costs, ability to withstand intense use and no need for pesticides.”  To address public safety concerns, four Connecticut state agencies collaborated in 2010 to evaluate the potential exposures and risks from athletic use of artificial turf fields, the DPH website explains.

A two year investigation of releases from five fields during active play was conducted by the Connecticut departments of Public Health, Energy and Environmental Protection, University of Connecticut Health Center, and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The study was peer-reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

The overall conclusion of the report, according to the DPH website, is that “use of outdoor artificial turf fields does not represent a significant health risk.”  A news release issued by the department did note “higher contaminant levels at one indoor field indicate that ventilation of indoor fields should be considered.  Storm water run off findings indicate that proper management of this run off is prudent to address possible environmental effects.”

Done Deal: Upstate New York Will be Home to Northeast’s First Legoland

The bricks have fallen into place, and Legoland will be coming to upstate New York in 2020.  Despite local opposition groups, a change in the preferred host community, and two years of uncertainty, United Kingdom-based Merlin Entertainment has announced that the third Legoland in the United States and the first in the Northeast will be built in Goshen, New York.  The site is just an hour or two from most parts of Connecticut and 60 miles north of Manhattan. There are no indications that Connecticut was ever seriously considered for the theme amusement park.  Currently, there are two operating Legoland locations in the U.S., in California and Florida. 

The $500-million amusement park and hotel are scheduled to be built on 500 acres right off Route 17 near exit 125 in Orange County, New York.  Legoland anticipates generating $283-million in taxes for Orange County over 30 years, more than 1,000 jobs at the park and 800 for construction.

In 2015, Merlin Entertainment had tried to build in a nearby community, but the plan fell through.  They next turned to Goshen, a small community with a population of just over 5,000. New York will support the project by investing $18 million, according to published reports, improving the current road infrastructure, upgrading traffic signals and building a bridge over Route 17. The project will also receive $7.1 million in grants through the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative and $8 million through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

The timing of the announcement followed a planning board vote in October, approving an umbrella resolution for its site plan, and permits to clear and grade the land. The review process took 17 months. The proposed Legoland theme park in Goshen had cleared a major hurdle in September when the Town Board amended Goshen’s comprehensive plan to allow commercial entertainment. A year ago, the plan was in doubt due to a variety of concerns raised locally, from traffic to environment to history.

“We have spent a lot of time building relationships in the community, listening and responding to concerns, and we are looking forward to building a theme park that will enhance the community and be a tremendous neighbor,” said Merlin Entertainments Chief Executive Officer Nick Varney. “I am honored to announce Legoland New York is officially moving forward.”

Merlin Entertainments, the developer of Legoland in New York, is one of the largest entertainment company operating in Europe, operating 123 attractions in 24 countries across four continents. About 2 million visitors annually are projected for Legoland New York, with the facility to be open each year from April 1 through Halloween.

The design of the New York location will build upon parks operating in California, Florida, the United Kingdom, Germany, Malaysia, Denmark, Dubai and Japan, where the most recent Legoland debuted.

With Varied Stories to Tell, State Authors Win 2017 Connecticut Book Awards

The Connecticut Book Awards returned from a five-year hiatus with a rousing ceremony and the selection of winners from among finalists in four categories:  Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Young Readers.  The competition was coordinated by Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Center for the Book, and the awards ceremony was held Sunday at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. West Hartford author Okey Ndibe was awarded the 2017 Connecticut Book Award for Non-Fiction for Never Look an American in the Eye, published by Soho Press.  The Fiction winner was Robert H. Patton of Darien for Cajun Waltz, published by Thomas Dunne Books.  In the Young Readers, The Weight of Zero, written by Karen Fortunati and published by Delacorte Press, was selected. The Poetry winner was Fugitives by Danielle Pieratti, published by Lost Horse Press.

One hundred nine titles were submitted as candidates for the Book Awards between January 1 and April 19, 2017 and after review against the guidelines, one hundred titles were admitted into the judging process. Books published in 2016 were eligible for the awards.

Each category had five judges with expertise in the literary arts. They reviewed the titles over three months using criteria appropriate to the category.  Seventeen titles made it to the finalist list. Nominated authors must currently reside in Connecticut and must have lived in the state at least three successive years or have been born in the state, or the book must be substantially set in Connecticut.

In accepting the award, Ndibe, a journalist and educator, said that “literature is central to what binds us together as a community.”  Ndibe’s funny, charming, and penetrating memoir tells of his move from Nigeria to America, examines the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics; recalls an incident of racial profiling just thirteen days after he arrived in the US, in which he was mistaken for a bank robber; considers American stereotypes about Africa (and vice-versa); and juxtaposes African folk tales with Wall Street.

Fortunati, who described her debut novel as a “story of hope and resilience” in accepting the award, recently completed Trinity College’s master’s program in American Studies.  She recalled that as part of her studies, she visited the Mark Twain House & Museum, which made the ceremony location especially fitting.

The book’s subject is mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, and “it explores the shame, stigma and anxiety that often complicate the management of this chronic condition,” Fortunati explains on her website.  “The issue is personal to me having witnessed the impact of depression and bipolar disorder in relatives and friends.  My goal was to write a story of hope for teens who struggle with mental illness.”

Pieratti, who teaches English at South Windsor High School, relocated to Connecticut from upstate New York five years ago.  She said “I have been nurtured by this state since I moved here,” and expressed appreciation to her colleagues in South Windsor.  She has taught at the college and high school level, and was recipient of the Idaho prize for Poetry in 2015.  Her poetry “explores the mundane moments and materials that make up ordinary days and finds there the ambiguities of mystery, shadow, and song,” the CT Center for the Book indicated.

Cajun Waltz, the Fiction winner by Robert H. Patton, is set in southwest Louisiana, a "tale of family, music, love, and picturesque mayhem" that explores “three generations of the volatile clan” as they “grapple with the region’s economic struggles and racial tensions.”

In addition to the award recipients, Gray Jacobik, University Professor Emerita at Eastern Connecticut State University, received Lifetime Achievement recognition in Poetry.

The awards were presented annually between 2002 and 2011, and were re-established by CT Humanities this year.  The nominated books for the 2017 Connecticut Book Awards, by category:

Fiction

• Back Lash by Chris Knopf
• I’ll Take You There by Wally Lamb
• Shadows of Paris by Eric D. Lehman
• Cajun Waltz by Robert H. Patton
• Beneath a Shooting Star by Susan Harrison Rashid

Non-Fiction

• Rare Light by Anne Dawson
• Never Look an American in the Eye by Okey Ndibe
• The Lost White Tribe by Michael Robinson

Poetry

• The Banquet by Gray Jacobik
• Barrel Children by Rayon Lennon
• The Meeting House by Marilyn Nelson
• Fugitives by Danielle Pieratti

Young Readers

• All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
• The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati
• Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood
• The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
• Good Night, Bat! Good Morning, Squirrel! by Paul Meisel

Images above (L to R): Okey Ndibe, Karen Fortunati, Danielle Pieratti, Robert H. Patton

Connecticut's Top Teachers Lead Classrooms from Ashford to Westport

There will be an Awards Ceremony next month to honor Connecticut’s 2018 Teacher of the Year – Erin Berthold, who teaches at the Cook Hill School in Wallingford – along with Teacher of the Year nominees from throughout the state.  The ceremony is scheduled to take place in Hartford just days after Berthold’s application, representing Connecticut, is due at the National Teacher of the Year selection committee. Berthold’s selection was announced last week at her school.  She is the first Wallingford educator to be selected for the annual award.

“I’m beyond thrilled and surprised,” Berthold told the Meriden Record-Journal.  She is in her 11th year of teaching. “I never really thought I’d win an award for teaching. It’s my job, it’s what I do. Working with six-year-olds is the real reward of teaching.”

The teachers who were earned recognition as finalists in Connecticut, along with Berthold, included LeAnn Cassidy, Social Studies, Memorial Middle School, Regional School District 15; LeAnn Cassidy, Social Studies, Memorial Middle School, Regional School District 15; and Courtney Ruggiero, Social Studies, Bedford Middle School, Westport.  Their teaching will also be honored, along with a dozen semi-finalists.  It is the culmination of a process that touched school districts throughout Connecticut, as local districts shined a spotlight on outstanding teachers in their respective communities.

The process begins with the Commissioner of Education sending Teacher of the Year applications to every district superintendent in the spring, encouraging them to participate in the recognition program.  The Teacher of the Year Program seeks to recognize exemplary teachers and does not try to identify the “best” teacher in the state, according to the Teacher of the Year website.

District teams identify one exemplary teacher from within their teaching populations.  Each district nominee completes the state application in the ensuing months and submits it to the State Department of Education.  Applications are distributed to members of a reading committee, and the results are tabulated to identify approximately fifteen semi-finalists.

Semi-finalists are invited to an interview with the Selection Committee at which they present a prepared presentation and respond to several questions related to education issues and current trends.  Four finalists are chosen from among the semi-finalists.  A committee of 12-18 people then travels to each of the finalists’ schools to observe the teachers in action and to interview teams of parents, teachers, support staff, students, administrators, and Board members. 

Following the site visits, the selection committee travels to a neutral site where they deliberate and vote to determine who will emerge as the next Connecticut Teacher of the Year.  Once that selection is made, the announcement follows shortly thereafter, in early October.

The 2018 Connecticut Teacher of the Year semi-finalists teach in school districts all across the state are:

• Katie Amenta, English, Berlin High School, Berlin
• Rebecca Aubrey, World Languages, Ashford School, Ashford
• Kevin Berean, Technology Education, Amity Middle School, Regional School District 5
• Martha Curran, English Language Arts, Walter C. Polson Upper Middle School, Madison
• Cheryl Gustafson, World Language, Somers High School, Somers
• Brian Kelly, Music-Band, John Wallace Middle School, Newington
• Kristen Keska, Social Studies, East Hampton High School, East Hampton
• Yolanda Lee-Gorishti, Science, Crosby High School, Waterbury
• Jeanne Malgioglio, English Language Arts, Madison Middle School, Trumbull
• Candace Patten, Social Studies, Southington High School, Southington
• Colleen Thompson, Music, Simsbury High School, Simsbury
• Vincent Urbanowski, Mathematics, The Academy of Information Technology, Stamford

The Connecticut Teacher of the Year Program is made possible by contributions made to the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides recognition for exemplary teachers and excellence in teaching.

Berthold has taught at Cook Hill for three years and was previously a special education teacher at Yalesville School and Moses Y. Beach School in Wallingford, the Record-Journal reported. Earlier in her career, Berthold taught at Lincoln Middle School in Meriden and Woodhouse Academy in Milford.

The Connecticut Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year finalists serve as teacher-ambassadors for public education. They are appointed to various education advisory committees and become consultants to the Commissioner of Education. In addition, they present workshops; speak at education conferences and meetings; address student, civic, college and university, and governmental groups; and operate special programs in accordance with their interests and expertise throughout the coming year.

For Berthold, there is one additional assignment. The National Teacher of the Year application is due to the National Teacher of the Year office, Washington, DC on November 1.  Just two years ago, Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year, Jahana Hayes, a high school social studies teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, was also selected as National Teacher of the Year and was honored at a ceremony at the White House with President Barack Obama.

Lauren Danner, a General Science/Biology teacher and Science Department Leader at North Branford High School was Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year in 2017. Cara Quinn, a sixth-grade teacher at the Sunset Ridge School in East Hartford, was named the 2015 top teacher in Connecticut. In 2014, John Mastroianni, a music teacher at West Hartford’s Hall High School, was selected.

Photos:  (Above) Erin Berthold; (Below)  LeAnn Cassidy, Regional School District 15; Martha Curran, Madison; Courtney Ruggiero, Westport.

Unhealthy Food Marketing Targets Hispanic Youth, UConn Researchers Find

Hispanic children and youth, particularly youth in Spanish-speaking households, visited food/beverage websites at higher rates than their non-Hispanic counterparts, despite fewer visits to the Internet overall, according to a research study published by University of Connecticut faculty members. “The frequency with which youth in Spanish-speaking households visited popular food and beverage websites compared with primarily English-speaking Hispanic youth raises further concerns due to the potential for these sites to reinforce preferences for an ‘‘American’’ diet among less acculturated youth, which could contribute to Hispanic youth’s worsening diet with greater acculturation,” Maia Hyary and Jennifer Harris point out in the inaugural issue of the journal Health Equity, published in September.

They stress that “Further research is needed to understand why Hispanic youth disproportionately visit food/beverage websites to help inform potential actions to reduce their exposure to unhealthy food marketing.”

The researchers warn that “given higher rates of obesity and diet-related diseases among Hispanic youth, food and beverage companies should not target marketing of unhealthy products to Hispanic youth online.”

Dr. Jennifer L. Harris is Director of Marketing Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and Associate Professor in Allied Health Sciences at University of Connecticut. She leads a multidisciplinary team of researchers who study food marketing to children, adolescents, and parents, and how it impacts their diets and health. Maia Hyary is a PhD student at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and a former Rudd Center Research Associate.

Food and beverage companies often target marketing for nutrient-poor products such as candy, sugary drinks, snack foods, and fast-food restaurants to Hispanic audiences, including youth, the researchers state.  They cite previous research that has documented disproportionate exposure to unhealthy food marketing by Hispanic youth in their communities and on TV, but theirs is the first examination of the phenomenon on the internet.

Sites that were relatively more popular with Hispanic youth than with non-Hispanic youth included ChuckeCheese.com, HappyMeal.com, the Lunchables website, FrostedFlakes.com, and two Spanish language websites (ComidaKraft.com and McDonald’sMeEncanta.com). Among Hispanic children (under 12 years), ChuckECheese.com, FrootLoops.com, HappyMeal.com, TacoBell.com, LuckyCharms.com, and SubwayKids.com were relatively more popular.

Health Equity is a new peer-reviewed open access journal that “meets the urgent need for authoritative information about health disparities and health equity among vulnerable populations,” according to the publication’s website, “with the goal of providing optimal outcomes and ultimately health equity for all.” The journal intends to provide coverage ranging from translational research to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of disease and illness, in order to serve as a primary resource for organizations and individuals who serve these populations at the community, state, regional, tribal, and national levels.

PHOTO:  Dr. Jennifer L. Harris, Maia Hyary

Personal Finance, Economic Education Curriculum Not Required in State's Schools

Connecticut has a curriculum for financial literacy for schools in the state.  But they’re not required to use it.  That’s true for economic education and personal finance education.  Despite having a 9-page state approved set of curriculum guidelines and expectations for student learning detailed on the website of the State Department of Education, there appears to be no indication as to where or whether courses are actually offered, taken and taught. Economic Education is included in the state’s K-12 standards in Connecticut, as it is in every state in the nation.  But Connecticut is one of only six states where the standards are not required to be implemented by districts, one of 27 states where a high school course is not required to be offered, one of 30 states where a high school course is not required to be taken, and one of 34 where standardized testing in the subject is not provided.

The numbers are similar for personal finance education.  Connecticut is one of 13 states that does not require standards to be implemented by local school districts, one of 28 states that does not require a high school course to be offered, and one of 28 that do not require a high school course in personal finance education to be taken. Connecticut, like most states (43) does not have standardized testing in personal finance.

That’s according to the Council for Economic Education’s “Survey of the States 2016,” a report on “Economic and Personal Finance Education in Our Nation’s Schools.”  Among the national findings:

• While more states are implementing standards in personal finance, the number of states that require high school students to take a course in personal finance remains unchanged since 2014 – just 17 states.
• Only 20 states require high school students to take a course in economics – that’s less than half the country and two fewer states than in 2014.
• There has been no change in the number of states that require standardized testing of economic concepts – the number remains at 16.

Connecticut’s seven “content standards” in personal finance focus on personal decision making, earning and reporting income, managing finances and budgeting, savings and investing, buying goods and services, banking and financial institutions, and maintaining credit worthiness, borrowing at favorable terms and managing debt.  The “frameworks” outline skills that students are expected to master, and “learner expectations” at various levels, from beginning to advanced.

“Some states offer little guidance to school districts related to what personal finance content to offer in schools at each grade level; others have pushed ahead, requiring courses from elementary to high school aged students, supporting and training teachers, and in some cases even testing students on learning outcomes,” said J. Michael Collins, of the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the report.

“Rigorous state standards can facilitate local schools to implement well-designed programs, which in turn expose students to concepts they otherwise would not learn. Communities may also benefit from having more financially competent households; perhaps stronger economics and personal finance standards could even be viewed ultimately as an economic development strategy, equipping young people with an increased ability to manage credit and invest in their future,” Collins added.

Statistics were not available in Connecticut on the number of school districts requiring financial literacy coursework, or the number of students who take such classes.

"States that combine personal finance and economics, support teachers, and hold students accountable for learning objectives have the best chance of promoting the development of young people who are better financial managers and stewards of their credit—behaviors with which many, if not most, young people tend to struggle," Collins pointed out.

The Council for Economic Education (CEE) is a leading nonprofit organization in the United States that focuses on the economic and education of students from kindergarten through high school.  The 65 year-old organization is based in New York City.