Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford is pleased to announce that, along with The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), The Village for Families and Children, and Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), it will provide early childhood education and support services through the regions’ federal Early Head Start and Head Start programs.
“We are very excited about this partnership, which will help us to build on our continuum of services for families with young children, from prenatal care through age five and entrance into kindergarten,” said Marek Kukulka, CEO of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford. “We express appreciation to our colleague agencies in this partnership and to all who support the Catholic Charities mission to provide help and create hope to people of all faiths and backgrounds.”
CREC will manage and lead the program, and also led the efforts to secure the $9.1 million award through their Grants and Development Office. The program will serve 426 children, birth through age five, in the Hartford/Middlesex Area. The funding for the award comes from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Head Start.
Through this partnership, Catholic Charities will provide Early Head Start (Infant/Toddler) programming for 52 children at two locations in Hartford – 45 Groton Street and 53 Wadsworth Street. This program fits seamlessly into the two-generation model at Catholic Charities Family Centers and will expand on the agency’s continuity of care for expectant parents and parents of pre-K children.
“CREC is excited to have been selected to manage and operate Early Head Start and Head Start programs in the Hartford and Middlesex counties,” said CREC Executive Director Greg Florio. “With the help of our wonderful partners, Catholic Charities, the Village for Families & Children, and our sister regional education service center, ACES, we look forward to providing early childhood education and support services to children—birth to five—and pregnant women. We have planned significant wraparound services to help families give their little ones a great start in life. And we have just the partners with whom to do this important work.”
“This federal funding will help grow Head Start early education programs, helping hundreds of our youngest learners thrive during these critical early years. We know that kids who participate in Head Start are served by that experience for decades to come – helping them to succeed in school and into adulthood. We’re proud to advocate for increased funding for these programs so they can continue to support Connecticut families for years to come,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Chris Murphy, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Rep. Jahana Hayes, and Rep. John Larson wrote in a jointly-issued statement from the Connecticut Congressional Delegation.