MINUTES

MANSFIELD ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

6:30-8:00 PM

Council Chambers- Town Hall

Present: K. Grunwald (staff), J. Goldman, MJ Newman, S. Baxter (staff), Lisa Young, Liz Buczynski, J. Higham, C. Guerreri, Gloria Bent, Terry Berthelot, F. Baruzzi, L. Dahn, Lisa Holle, K. Paulhus, Jim Greene

Regrets: B. Lehmann, D. McLaughlin, A. Bladen, S. Daley, J. Stoughton,

Item	Discussion	Outcome
Open	-S. Baxter welcomed back members along with newly appointed members (Jim Greene, Lisa Young): and welcomed interested visitors. -Note- There will be a Volunteer Recognition Picnic- Saturday, 9/12/09, 5:00-7:00PM, Behind E.O. Smith H.S.
New Chairs	S. Baxter nominated new Co-Chairs, Gloria Bent and Judy Stoughton Vote to adopt 06/03/09 Minutes	Gloria Bent and Judy Stoughton were elected unanimously as co-chairs. Minutes adopted unanimously.
Plan Review	Discuss Mansfield’s Plan for Young Children: G. Bent asked for feedback and questions on the Graustein Review Materials. S. Baxter stated that the group who worked on this is very proud of the plan, and she pointed out some of the key findings of the evaluation. C. Guerreri clarified that feedback came from the Charter Oak Group, Laura Downs and the State Dept. of Education. This is a technical review focused on the elements of the plan, and not a review of the process. C. Guerreri felt that the process was exemplary in the level of community involvement, and this will aid in the implementation of the plan. This is one element that will be taken into account in terms of future funding. J. Higham acknowledged the work of the LWG, and feels that this provides a good starting point for the future work of MAC. C. Guerreri explained that this feedback needs to be incorporated into the plan before the end of the year. T. Berthelot added that we need to evaluate how important it is to secure this funding, and how does this impact our future work, and do we need this money to implement the plan. J. Goldman added that there was an understanding that the membership of MAC would need to be expanded to implement this plan. How can we prioritize the strategies and action items to move this forward in the time available? There was some discussion regarding the review of our current Discovery Action Plan, the importance of this to our future work, and the continuation of Discovery through March of 2010. J. Higham made a strong case for the importance completing the plan to be able to secure Option I funding.
Graustein Options	-C. Guerreri explained the process of Graustein Options for future funding and facilitated a discussion regarding how to proceed. Option I requires a cash match of $25K in each of the next two years. In years 3-5 the funding is stepped down and the cash match increases. We will need to be able to demonstrate the match at the time of application. This is not money intended to implement the plan, but to ensure that there is a paid staff person to administer the initiative. Funds can be used for implementation if the cost of the Coordinator is already covered. J. Higham asked for clarification about how the implementation of the plan can be funded? J. Higham moved that we proceed with Option I. MJ Newman asked how soon we will receive feedback that the plan is fully developed? No clear answer for this. C. Guerreri pointed out that we may have Technical Assistance money available to assist us with this. K. Grunwald suggested that a sub-group form to work on developing a work plan to prepare for the grant application and to prioritize next steps.	The group agreed unanimously to pursue Option I. A sub-group will meet prior to the next meeting to begin the work plan.
MAC Action Plan	-Review our 2008-09 Discovery Action Plan to assess accomplishments and incorporate into our 2009-10 Plan.
Updates	-Board of Education Update: J. Higham provided a brief update on BOE news; next meeting is Sept. 10. R. Leclerc reported that the Books on the Bus program was very successful. -Mansfield Family Resource Guide (formerly Information Packets): J. Higham displayed a copy of the guide and explained that she obtained enough funding to print 250 copies. Distribution will be primarily to new parents and families of young children who are new to town. It will be distributed at the “Know Your Towns Fair.” -New Connections –“Spouses’ Network at UConn”: J. Goldman reported that this recently formed for new UConn families coming into Mansfield. It appears to be geared to newcomers. She also reported that she, S. Baxter and a grad student attended a graduate student reception. The primary concern of parents is the availability of infant/toddler care. The UConn Employee Benefits office is taking over the Work/Life Coordinators’ function.
Next Meeting	-Next meeting: Wednesday, October 7,2009- Town Hall, Council Chambers Agenda Items to recommend for next meeting: 1) Ledyard pre-K survey;	Meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin Grunwald