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About
Early Childhood Community Network
About Us
Our mission is to engage families in accessing shared resources and promoting wellbeing and resilience in collaboration with the community. We strive to create a network of providers and community partners that reaches all children and families in Connecticut (especially South Eastern Connecticut), with a focus on child and family-centered health and wellness.
Our vision is a South Eastern Connecticut where all children and families have access to the resources and support they need to thrive. We aim to achieve this through action from all community partners, working together to create a network that fosters health, wellness, and resilience for every child and family.
What is Early Start Connecticut?
A state-funded initiative based on family income administered by the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) that develops a network of school readiness programs in order to:
- Provide open access for children to quality programs that promote the health and safety of children and prepare them for formal schooling
- Provide opportunities for parents to choose among affordable high-quality programs
- Encourage coordination and cooperation among programs and prevent the duplication of services
- Recognize the specific service needs and unique resources available to municipalities and provide flexibility in the implementation of programs
- Prevent or minimize developmental delays in children prior to their reaching the age of five
- Reduce educational costs by decreasing the need for special education services for school age children and to avoid grade repetition
- Assure that children with disabilities are integrated into programs available to children who are not disabled;
- Enhance federally funded school readiness programs
- Strengthen the family through:
- encouragement of parental involvement in a child’s development and education
- enhancement of a family’s abilities to meet the special needs of the children, including children with disabilities
- Improve the coordination of services of child care providers.
Our Policies
OEC Policies
For each local policy, all tenets of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) General Policies apply as well as New London School Readiness Policies. You can find the OEC Policies below.