“I’m thrilled that the Jonathan Reed School, which is Waterbury’s newest school, will open with these new services. This is the kind of school reform that will really make a difference for families in the 72nd district,” stated Rep. Larry B. Butler.
Gov. Malloy: Education reform delivers expanded network of family resource centers
Governor Dannel P. Malloy, along with Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor, today announced that ten new sites for school-based Family Resource Centers have been selected to provide an array of additional wraparound services to children and their families, increasing access to early childhood education and providing important supports to students and families. Expansion of Connecticut’s family resource center network was a key part of education reform legislation signed by the Governor earlier this year.
Public Act 16-112, An Act Concerning Education Reform , targets $1.9 million in funding to create ten new Family Resource Centers throughout Connecticut. A portion of the funding, approximately $800,000, will also be used to support programming and services offered in the state’s 62 existing Family Resource Centers.
As mandated by the new education reform law the state’s 30 Alliance Districts were eligible to apply for one of the ten new Family Resource Center slots. Selections were made following a competitive process that included statements of interest from districts and an extensive review of applications. By law, Family Resource Centers must be located within public elementary schools. New locations include:
• J. C. Clark School, Hartford
• Fair Haven Elementary School, New Haven
• Franklin Mayberry Elementary School, East Hartford
• John B. Stanton Elementary School, Norwich
• Greene-Hills School, Bristol
• Jonathan Reed Elementary School, Waterbury
• Ridge Hill School, Hamden
• Roger Sherman Elementary School, Meriden
• Ross Woodward Classical Studies School, New Haven
• Smith Elementary School, New Britain
Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor said: “Our state’s Family Resource Centers provide high quality support services to our children and to families. By boosting access to these valuable school-linked services, we help ensure that children come to school ready to learn and that families have access to the services they need.”
Family Resource Centers coordinate local services that lead to school and social readiness. Family Resource Centers also aim to create a welcoming environment at the schools in which they are located, especially for parents who have had negative or difficult experiences with schools in the pas
Initiatives include home visitations to screen for child developmental needs, before- and after-school care, summer camps, child-rearing skills classes, high school equivalency classes, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programming, among other services. Family Resource Centers also serve as a resource and referral link for HUSKY, D-SNAP, and mental health service programs.