CCM and the Connecticut Commission on Children (COC), joining the National League of Cities (NLC) Campaign for Early Childhood Success, have received a one-year $75,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation for an early childhood success initiative in Connecticut.

Its goal is to enhance school readiness and early childhood (birth to eight) development in Connecticut’s towns and cities -- through more effective and sustained leadership by municipal officials.

To direct the project, CCM and COC have hired Jeffrey Daniels, a consultant on public policy issues to nonprofit, government and corporate clients for more than two decades.

The initiative’s steering committee includes Joel Cogen, Jim Finley, Kathy Flannery, and Ron Thomas of CCM, and Elaine Zimmerman, executive director of COC.

Current activities of the Early Childhood Success Initiative include:

• Surveying municipal leaders to determine what kinds of activities are taking place on the local level.
• Gathering, analyzing and publicizing successful early childhood services in Connecticut and the country.
• A Municipal Task Force on Early Childhood Success to assist CCM and COC in developing policies and other recommendations to strengthen families and provide opportunities for young children. The task force, which includes representatives from 20 towns and cities that have shown a particular interest in early childhood development, will meet several times a year. All CCM-member municipalities will be encouraged to join the task force.
• Free workshop/seminars to help municipalities effectively launch and maintain efforts that promote early childhood success. ° Links to other Web sites that provide easy-to-read, reliable information on early childhood development services and trends will be available on the CCM and COC Web sites ‹ www.ccm-ct.org and www.cga.state.ct.us/coc/.
• A clearinghouse, established by CCM, enables Connecticut municipal officials to easily exchange information on issues relating to young children.