Coming Together to Talk and Take Action
Two Community Conversations in Mansfield On Early Childcare and Education
On November 20, 2003 and again on January 24, 2004, the Town of Mansfield sponsored a "Community Conversation" on the topic of early childcare and education in Mansfield. The League of Women Voters of Connecticut, with support from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, awarded Mansfield a grant to sponsor these events. The broad objective of a "Conversation" is to heighten community awareness and involvement around the issue of early childhood care and education for families in our community, while working towards identifying challenges, questions, concerns, and recommendations for follow-up actions.
A Community Conversation is an opportunity for diverse members of the community to join together around a common issue, and in this spirit both events began with a communal meal. The E.O.Smith High School Culinary Arts Class prepared and served a dinner at the first Conversation, while refreshments for the second event were provided with support from the Mansfield Big Y Grocery Store.
The first Conversation in November was characterized by lively discussion and an appreciation for the opportunity to have a forum to examine this important topic. Several critical issues were discussed, including Mansfield’s proposed plan to institute a full-day kindergarten program. In general, participants agreed that this issue needs further discussion and study. Many questions were raised around this proposal, including concerns about financing and allocation of resources. Participants also agreed that Mansfield has under-utilized some of our resources for families of young children, and that information about those resources should be disseminated more effectively. Also important is finding ways to assess the needs of families with young children. Lastly, participants felt that parents of young children, whether they are working parents or stay-at-home parents, need support. These issues among others became the basis for our work plan for the follow-up Community Conversation in January. The consensus of this group was that the conversation was an important first step, and needed to be continued.
The follow-up Conversation was designed to develop strategies for addressing the key issues identified in our initial discussion. Participants felt that an important first step was to involve other residents in the discussion, and one way to accomplish this was to undertake a survey. As plans have already been underway to survey approximately 1,000 households on the issue of full-day kindergarten, it was decided to incorporate this into our action plan. The survey will be prepared and analyzed by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at UConn, and utilizes opinions obtained from focus groups to key in on critical areas of concern.
Another suggestion was to create a sub-committee to study how to make quality early care and education accessible to all children, while also looking at financial implications of any programs. An additional sub-committee was suggested to work with local groups to assess more clearly the needs of families with young children. It was felt that cooperative work with UConn’s graduate student organization, international student groups, and employee unions would be an important place to start. As a result of this meeting, the groundwork has been laid for a mutually beneficial exchange between the town and a Provost’s Council at UConn, which is also studying the needs and available resources for early care and education. Finally, many suggestions were offered for supporting parents raising young children. They ranged from offering financial or benefits package for at home parents, to creating an information packet about our town, or creating a core of volunteers to visit new moms and dads in town, to name a few.
Comments by participants in both events were overwhelmingly positive, and we feel that we are on the verge of exciting changes that can make a positive difference for all children and families in Mansfield. The energy that began to build at the first Community Conversation and grew to a momentum for action at the second Conversation can have sustainable positive effects for our whole Community. Our Mayor, Town Council members, educators, parents, faith communities, university students, high school students, some of our local businesses, all were a part of making the first two Community Conversations in Mansfield successful. Political, financial, educational, and volunteer resources are all coming together right now to take concrete steps toward improving and enhancing early childcare and education in Mansfield. This is the time to make a difference in the lives of our youngest citizens.
The Mansfield School Readiness Council provides one opportunity for residents to get involved in improving outcomes for all of the children in Mansfield. This is a group of volunteers appointed by the Town Council with the mission of improving developmental, social and emotional outcomes of children ages birth through eight. This council has been actively working on these issues for six years. If you would like to be a part of the work of the Council, we welcome you. We meet the first Wednesday evening of every other month. Our next meeting is on March 3, 2004.
There are other ways to be a part of the lively work of raising our children to be productive citizens. If you receive the full-day kindergarten survey, complete it and return it quickly. Come to a Board of Education meeting. Take in a Town Council Meeting when these issues are being considered. Join one of the sub-committees mentioned above. If you have any questions about the Community Conversations, the Mansfield School Readiness Council’s work, or how you might be a part of the work, please contact Sandy Baxter, Mansfield School Readiness Coordinator, at 429-3338 or e-mail: baxtersp@mansfieldct.org.
Submitted by Sandy Baxter
Mansfield School Readiness Coordinator
February 10, 2004