Publications

Connecticut Voices for Children released their Issue Briefing Book 2020-2022.  Versions of this document have been developed throughout the 25 years of the organization’s history. As the state experiences the convergence of a health crisis, an economic recession due to that crisis, and a contentious and long-overdue conversation on race, the “Book” has been refreshed given Voices’ new, strategic aim toward economic justice and these unprecedented times. The Issue Briefing Book 2020-2022 is designed to be a starting point for shared knowledge around the research and recommendations that are fundamental to family economic security and the undergirding fiscal and economics, with the hope of advancing shared action.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a report that examines Connecticut’s school to prison pipeline and the racial disparities that exist across programs and systems. The report, entitled “Beyond Exclusionary Discipline: Re-Conceptualizing Connecticut’s School to Prison Pipeline to Address Root Causes,” identifies several structural and systemic factors that push students through the school to prison pipeline, which fall into three categories: discrimination, physical and mental well-being, and socioeconomic status.  Additionally, Connecticut Voices for Children offers the following recommendations that seek to mitigate the factors that make it more difficult for students to achieve in school and put students at an increased risk of facing exclusionary discipline and justice system involvement: Connecticut schools should provide additional counselors, social workers, and therapists to support students and teachers. Connecticut schools should hire teachers and administrators who have backgrounds that are relatable to the students they serve. Connecticut schools should dramatically limit the use of exclusionary discipline to create an environment that is supportive, not punitive. Connecticut schools should provide teachers and administrators with ongoing training and support on anti-racism. Connecticut schools should expand services and partner with other organizations to provide greater support to students and their families.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a report that outlines the three, large, coronavirus-related Congressional bills to date. The report, entitled “Federal Efforts to Address the Coronavirus Pandemic & the Ensuing and Precipitous Economic Downturn” examines The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-123), which became law on March 6, 2020; The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127), which became law on March 18, 2020; The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136), which became law March 27, 2020; and The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139), which became law April 24, 2020.  This report, in three parts, describes the key provisions of these federal efforts, with emphasis on those most relevant to Connecticut children and families.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a second crisis response report, as part of a series of reports, that outlines what the state can do to support children and families during and after the COVID-19 crisis. The report, entitled “The State of Early Childhood: Can Connecticut’s Struggling Family Child Care Providers Fill a 50,000 Child Care Gap Amidst the Coronavirus Recession?” examines the status of Connecticut’s child care industry, specifically family child care providers, before the coronavirus pandemic and finds the state continues to see the following: a shortage of child care slots, high child care costs that are not affordable to most families, and a continuing divide between preschool experience between higher- and lower-income towns. The report explores responses to the pandemic that can help state policymakers create a stronger early childhood environment necessary for rebuilding Connecticut’s economy.

While the status quo state budget plan approved by policymakers did not offer many bold new investments in children and families, other policy changes approved during this year’s legislative

The state’s final biennial budget for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 could be characterized as a status quo budget.

Connecticut families need and deserve a strong and reliable early care and education system.

While the state budget proposals by the General Assembly protect many programs that serve children and families from budget cuts, rigid and counterproductive budget rules are starving schools, infr

While the presence of police officers in Connecticut schools does not appear to contribute to a safer school climate or improved academic outcomes, it may contribute to more Latino students being a

When children have access to high-quality care and education, there are benefits to the child, the child’s family, and community as a whole.