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“We are thrilled that The Grossman Family Foundation is supporting our work to prepare children for school,” said Caroline LaFleur, coordinator of the partnership. “Many of our children are facing a lot of challenges, and those challenges are preventing them from arriving at kindergarten ready to learn. This is particularly true of low-income children. These funds will help us begin to address those challenges and put children on the right path for learning.”
The Grossman Family Foundation, based in Fairfield County, focuses on increasing opportunities for success for children.
A majority of the funds will be used to provide more home visiting services to Danbury families that are vulnerable and at-risk, including low-income families, families new to the area or the country, single-parent families, families headed by teen mothers and grandparents, and families facing other life stresses.
Home visits to those families will be provided using a model called “Parents As Teachers.” Under the model, trained staff visit families and offer a broad spectrum of parent education and family support. Research shows that parents who go through the program read more often to their children, engage their children in more home-learning activities, and are more likely to enroll them in preschool. The children of families who go through the program are more prepared for kindergarten and show higher reading and math readiness at the end of kindergarten.
“Parents as Teachers is an evidenced-based program with a track record of improving a child’s ability to enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. We are pleased to partner with Danbury’s Promise for Children Partnership in the expansion of this program and the Partnership’s work to improve health and educational outcomes for the young children of Danbury,” said Linda Franciscovich, executive director of the Grossman Family Foundation.
Parents As Teachers home visits will be provided by Families Network of Western Connecticut, an agency that has been serving families in the Danbury community since 1998. It has been a "Parents As Teachers" Certified site for six years.
Danbury’s Promise for Children Partnership ensures that all Danbury children, ages birth through 8, are healthy and ready for school. It brings together parents, educators, health providers, businesses, and members of faith communities to create a city in which all children receive the services and supports they need to succeed.
The Grossman Family Foundation is also providing funding to support the Partnership’s administration and its efforts to raise more funds to implement its strategic plan for young children. For more information about the partnership and to review its strategic plan for Danbury’s young children, visit www.danburypromiseforchildren.org.
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