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Honoring voices who have made a difference for Connecticut’s children, youth and families. 2013 First for Kids Celebration November 6, 2013 Pond House Café 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 1555 Asylum Avenue West Hartford, Connecticut About Connecticut Voices for Children Connecticut Voices for Children believes that advocacy at the Capitol, we work with every child should have the opportunity to policymakers to advance specific legislative reach his or her full potential: to grow up in a and regulatory initiatives. Through ongoing healthy environment, to enter school ready to assessment and analysis, we track policy learn, and to reach adulthood prepared to changes to ensure that public investments succeed. Through quality research, strategic yield the intended results. communications, community engagement and Leadership Development fiscal analysis, we identify and advance strategic public investments to make our Connecticut Voices actively fosters the next vision a reality. generation of policy leadership by offering two-year policy fellowships to exceptional Research and Policy Analysis recent college graduates with a strong interest Connecticut Voices takes an interdisciplinary in advancing public policy to benefit children approach to our work, integrating research and youth. Some of our policy fellows have and best practice policies across issue areas become Truman and Rhodes Scholars; including early care and child development, attended law, business, medical, public health, elementary and secondary education, health and other graduate schools; run for public care, foster care, juvenile justice, family office; worked for state and federal economic security, and tax and budget. We governments; and become executive directors share our research and recommendations of nonprofit organizations. through public presentations, issue briefs and Real Results media outreach. Significant reports over the past year include: Policy changes resulting from our advocacy are producing real results for Connecticut Arresting Development: Student Arrests in families: Connecticut Hundreds more children have early The State of Working Connecticut 2013: education opportunities in school readiness Young People in the Workforce programs. Confronting the Cap: Modeling the Impact More children in foster care are remaining of Two Changes to Connecticut's Spending in the schools they attend rather than Cap suffering the disruption of changing Reality Check: Who Pays Taxes in schools each time their foster placements Connecticut? change. The Governor's Proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Over 180,000 low-income, working -15 Budget: The Impact on Children households received a boost from the new Advocating for Change Connecticut Earned Income Tax Credit. Connecticut Voices works to advance sound More children in the care of the policy choices necessary for the health and Department of Children and Families are well-being of our youngest residents. Our living with relatives, rather than in comprehensive advocacy strategy builds upon institutions. our research and policy analysis to create the Thousands more children, parents, and public and political will necessary to drive pregnant women are getting the health care change. Through coalitions, we seek to build they need through the HUSKY health a statewide voice for change. Through insurance program. 2013 First for Kids Ceremony Musical entertainment provided by the ACES Educational Center for the Arts: Will Brennan, guitar, Andrew Fermo, piano, Nick Morcaldi, drums, and Roy Wiseman, bass Welcome Jean Adnopoz, Chair, Board of Directors Ellen Shemitz, Executive Director Lifetime Achievement Award Presented by Governor Dannel P. Malloy David Nee Executive Director, Graustein Memorial Fund State Policy Leadership Award Presented by Peter Arakas Commissioner Joette Katz Department of Children and Families Legislative Leadership Award Presented by Robert Cotto, Jr. Representative Jason Rojas Connecticut General Assembly Public Service Award Presented by Patricia Baker United Way of Connecticut/2-1-1 Closing Remarks LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD David Nee In July 2013, the his service as Director of the Office of Program William Caspar Development for the Massachusetts Department Graustein Memorial of Corrections. Mr. Nee has credited this Fund announced experience in corrections and the desire to that David Nee, prevent crime rather than incarcerate, as the the Fund’s only spark for his passion for early child executive director development. since it opened its doors in Connecticut, would David Nee’s leadership and commitment to be retiring from his position at the helm of the supporting the state’s children and families have foundation. Even at the time of this contributed to a number of successes here in announcement, Mr. Nee knew that retirement Connecticut. Over the past few years many was just a new beginning, telling a local states have chosen to reduce and remove newspaper, “I can't imagine myself sitting around funding for early care and education in the face and clipping coupons.” of the many budget challenges that arose out of This would not come as a surprise to those who the recession. Over this same period know Mr. Nee, who has spent the past two- Connecticut has instead increased funding for decades tirelessly bringing together communities, capacity and quality. advocates, funders, and policy makers to support The greatest and most recent victory is the the growth and development of the state’s creation of a State Office of Early Childhood. youngest residents. The office will reflect Mr. Nee’s vision of early David Nee became the first executive director of childhood – with plans to collaborate with the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund in communities, advocates, and funders in an effort 1993. His philosophy of inclusion, listening, and to develop a more streamlined, high-quality, and collaboration is the cornerstone of the Memorial accessible early education system. Fund’s work of improving education for Mr. Nee has chaired the board of the Connecticut’s children by supporting school Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, where he change, informing the public debate on helped found its Early Childhood Funders educational issues, and strengthening the Affinity Group. Through this collaborative involvement of parents and the community in network of 14 funders, he has worked to pool education. The Memorial Fund’s Discovery resources and support the development of an Initiative supports 54 Connecticut communities early childhood system in Connecticut. in developing locally-driven action plans for improving life and educational outcomes for For his twenty-plus years of service and young children. Mr. Nee challenges those seeking commitment to children as the Executive change to start with the children and parents who Director of the William Caspar Graustein live and attend schools in each community, and Memorial Fund, as well as his personal to include the voices of those families in the dedication to bringing together communities, process. nonprofit organizations, and state government to advance the well-being of young people, Prior to entering the philanthropic field, Mr. Nee Connecticut Voices for Children presents David held a variety of positions in corrections at the Nee with our Lifetime Achievement Award. municipal, federal and state levels, culminating in STATE POLICY LEADERSHIP AWARD Commissioner Joette Katz Three years into workers to collaborate with families on her term as developing plans to resolve family problems. Commissioner of She has dramatically increased the Department’s Connecticut’s openness to “kinship care,” placing children Department of with family and friends whenever possible, and Children and decreasing placements in traditional foster care Families (DCF), or congregate care. As a part of these changes, Joette Katz has earned a reputation as a child- Commissioner Katz has worked to keep focused reformer, leading substantial changes in Connecticut’s children in Connecticut, the culture and practices of an often besieged prohibiting any out of state placement of agency. She has replaced adversarial, often children without her individual review and forensic-style investigations with less disruptive personal approval. community based interventions that connect The results of such reforms speak for families to needed supports and allow more themselves. Since January 2011, the number of children to remain in family settings. Such children in the care of DCF has decreased by 18 changes have made a positive difference in the percent; the number of children in out-of-state lives of some of our state’s most vulnerable placements has decreased by 90 percent. Forty- children and have distinguished Commissioner four percent of DCF-involved children live with Katz as a Voice for Connecticut’s Children. a relative, up from 30 percent three years ago, Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and the share of children residing in congregate Commissioner Katz graduated from Brandeis care settings has dropped from 30 percent to 22 University in 1974 and the University Of percent. Connecticut School of Law in 1977. Governor Commissioner Katz not only speaks out for William O’Neill appointed her to the Connecticut children, she also listens, showing respect for the Superior Court in 1989. Three years later, adolescents and young adults in her care. Many Governor Lowell Weicker elevated her to the youth struggle with the transition out of foster State Supreme Court where she served more than