Connecticut Commission on Children

The Commission on Children was created in 1985 by a joint act of the CT legislature. It provides policy analyses, issue coordination, public education, and cross-branch public policy deliberation. The Commission was a major contributor to the passage of CT landmark school readiness legislation in 1997-98 and has been a key advocate for its expansion.

Connecticut Commission on Children has produced the following resources and agreed to publish them on the Discovery site.


		Parent Leadership Training Institute
		The Parent Leadership Training Institute is a course for parents designed to enable parents to become leading advocates for children.
		The Parent Trust Fund
		The Parent Trust Fund helps Connecticut communities improve the health, safety and education of their children by funding programs that train parents in civic leadership and promote parental engagement in community affairs. Philanthropic groups, businesses, and private donors all contribute to the Trust, making it a national model.
		Connecticut Leads the Way with School Readiness and Early Reading Success
		Published by the Connecticut Commission on Children. This fact sheet provides an overview of the key components of the 1997 School Readiness Legislation as well as highlighting findings from communities across the state showing that quality preschool programs translate into positive outcomes for children.
		Fatherhood Initiative
		The Connecticut Commission on Children Fatherhood Initiative has produced a report on the importance of father involvement and provided a list of resources for fathers who want to be more involved in their children's lives.
		Opening the Kindergarten Door: The Preschool Difference
		This report is based on a survey of kindergarten teachers in Connecticut's priority school districts. The purpose of the survey was to determine how many children in these districts enter kindergarten ready for school. The research was focused on language and literacy, math, social/emotional and fine motor skills. The study found that children with 2 years of preschool are twice as likely to be viewed as ready for kindergarten in math and language and literacy skills as their peers without preschool experience and one and a half times as likely to be seen as ready for kindergarten in social/emotional skills and fine motor skills. Children with English as a Second Language who had two years of preschool experience also fared significantly better in these areas. This report was initiated by the Connecticut Commission on Children at the request of the Connecticut General Assembly's Education Committee and supported by the State Department of Education and the Connecticut Center for School Change.
		Parent Trust Fund
		The Parent Trust Fund was created to build this parent leadership capacity and provide parents with the substantive civic tools to be effective advocates for children and participate in the civic life of communities throughout the state. Communities can apply to the CT Commission on Childern for these funds and receive $1,000 to $8,000 to support parent training programs.

Visit Connecticut Commission on Children's Web Site