OUR COLLABORATORS
Our group is made up of representatives from the community, including Stafford Social Services, Stafford Family Services, Stafford Public Schools, Family Resource Center, EASTCONN, parents, community members, and more.
WHO WE ARE
Stafford Childhood Collaborative was established in 1998, first as the local School Readiness Council, when Stafford first received School Readiness funding. In 2010, the School Readiness Council received Discovery funds from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund and state partners to create the Stafford Community Plan. The intent of this plan was to identify the needs in the community with the purpose to improve the delivery of services to all children, regardless of economics, race or social standing in order to improve the outcomes for education, health and development.
The actionable items in this plan continue to guide the work of the Stafford Childhood Collaborative, formerly the Stafford Early Childhood Council. This cross-sector group—comprising educators, childcare providers, parents, business leaders, town service representatives, and health professionals—meets bi-monthly to promote coordination and alignment among early childhood programs. As part of the new Early Start CT initiative, the Collaborative now serves as the Local Governance Partner (LGP), replacing the School Readiness Council. In this role, the group provides oversight, advises on implementation, and helps ensure that quality standards and family engagement remain central to program delivery.
