Danbury is located in the southwest corner of Connecticut in Fairfield County. It covers approximately 42 square miles and is the fifth largest city in Connecticut with a population of 65,336 people, of which 11% is Portuguese, 10% is Brazilian, and 10% is Hispanic.

In 1998, 23% of the population was age 17 and under. The median household income is $51,144; per capita income is $27,373. In 1990, the poverty rate was 5.76%. However, 33% of Danbury's children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. In 1997-98, 61.8% of Danbury's children had a preschool experience.

Danbury has 13 public elementary schools, two middle schools and the state's largest high school. Current public school enrollment is 9,174 students or 81% of the student population. An additional 19% of Danbury's children attend private and parochial schools. There are 50 languages spoken in Danbury schools. Statistically, Danbury ranks 13th in the state for highest percentage of minorities enrolled in school and fifth highest in the state for the number of students (29.2%) coming from homes where English is spoken as a second language.

Of Danbury's fourth grade students in 1998, 42% met the Connecticut Mastery Test goal for reading, 39% met the goal in writing and 63% met the goal in mathematics. On Mastery Test results statewide, Danbury ranks 15th out of 169 municipalities.

The Mayor and an elected Common Council run the city government. Key players in the day-to-day city operations include the Mayor's office, the state legislators, Superintendent of Schools, the Board of Education, United Way, Danbury Public Library, Danbury Housing Authority, Danbury Hospital, Danbury Visiting Nurses Association, Danbury Health & Housing Authority, Housatonic Area Regional Transit, Danbury Welfare and Social Services Department, and Danbury Volunteer Center.

The political climate of Danbury is a positive one. The Democratic Mayor is a popular and visible member of the community. He has a good working relationship with the Superintendent of Schools. In 1999, Money Magazine listed Danbury as one of the safest cities in America. Danbury has a sound tax base due to the large number of commercial and industrial businesses located here. Large corporations include Union Carbide, Boehringer Ingelheim, Raytheon, Barden, G.E. Capital and Cendant Mobility.

Interested parents from the various focus groups became the nucleus of a "work group" that met to formulate ideas for a grant proposal. The number of concerned, excited and involved parents grew. That group was joined by members of various social service agencies. Attention was paid to recruit members that reflected Danbury's ethnic composition. Four major issues for young children emerged:

	Early Childhood Development
	Parent School Relations
	Recreation and Cultural Needs
	Parent Leadership Development

Members broke into subgroups according to their areas of interest and issue teams were formed. A generous four-year grant from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund was awarded and staff was hired to support parent efforts. A new name, Danbury Children First, was taken on. Our governing board took shape as a Steering Committee. Each issue team sent two members. The board also included signatory partners: The United Way of Northern Fairfield County, representation from the Mayor's office and the Superintendent's office. The United Way agreed to be the fiduciary agent.

We wanted to listen to parents' concerns and hear what they had to say. We learned to remove barriers that often limit parent participation. We met in convenient places on major public access roads and familiar to our population. Churches were often used for meetings. We provided high-quality childcare with snacks, crafts, toys and computer games. Parents often told us it was their children that urged them to come out to still another meeting. Food was always plentiful at meetings. We provided transportation, translation, parent stipends and anything else we could to make parents feel comfortable. Meetings were held at the parent's convenience, usually in the evenings or on Saturdays. We communicated frequently and in as many different venues as possible. Notices were followed up by phone calls. Most importantly, relationships were built. A climate had been created where many voices were heard and participants were encouraged to grow. Parents became empowered; important and wonderful things began to happen.

In any setting, there is always a small vocal group that is heard. Now, a new, smaller, quieter voice needed to be heard. Parents who struggled with English stood to tell their tales. Parents asked for and received education and information that allowed them to understand the systems that made decisions that affected their children.

Community activism, however, is slow and difficult work. Not everyone was interested in what we had to say. Tenacity, tempered by patience, became a required characteristic for change. Providing clear information for parents was not enough. We had to show them how to utilize information.

Sustainability became an important issue, and parent leaders developed strong plans to continue. In addition, clear messages about who we are and what we hope to accomplish have to be delivered regularly. The News-Times and The Tribuna, local newspapers, are important allies and resources. In addition, a Danbury Children First publication, Parent-to-Parent, is published quarterly and over 5,000 copies are distributed.

Almost every facet of Danbury Children First's work incorporates building relationships. Danbury is a community where organizations regularly work together. Danbury CFI has learned that effective, regular communication between partners is a key element for strengthening partnerships. Danbury CFI partners know our philosophy that parents are important stakeholders and make a difference. Danbury CFI has learned to build on the strengths of community partners.

New partnerships have been formed and strengthened to benefit children. DCFI is exploring using written strategic alliance agreements with key organizations who share similar goals like the Hispanic Cultural Center, Healthy Families Network and the School Readiness Council. In addition to the various projects described in this book, the DCFI has partnered with Western Connecticut State University to create the Danbury Parent Leadership Training Institute and with America Reads to bring together stakeholders in family literacy. Additionally, the United Way, DCFI, Danbury Public Schools and the School Readiness Council have been working together to form a Child Community Outcomes Planning Committee.

Website: www.danburychildrenfirst.org