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CHANGING GEARSReallocating Resources to Early Childhood

Early Childhood Edition

The Benefits of Investingin Early Childhood

The research supporting Manchester’s Early Childhood Community Plan

Nurturing the NurturersA Family Resource Center is

coming to a school near you!

Are We Ready?An overview of Manhester’s School Readiness Initaitives

Changing More than Just Minds

Progress in the war on childhood obesity

Manchester’sNeighborhood Academy

Volume 4 Edition 3 Fall 2014

Better Manchester Magazineis an official publication of theTown of Manchester Office ofNeighborhoods and Families andis published three times per year(Winter/Spring Edition, Summer Edition, Fall Edition)

SubscriptionMailed to all Town of Manchesterresidents and available atwww.townofmanchester.org

Produced ByTown of Manchester Office of Neighborhoods and Families andManchester Parks and RecreationDepartment, 41 Center St., P.O.Box 191, Manchester, CT 06045-0191

EditorChristopher J. Silver

Assistant EditorRosaleen Torrey

Staff WriterChristin Fowler

Artwork and IllustrationBrendan NicholasMegan Williams

Copy EditorsChristin Fowler Melissa Stewart

Design/LayoutNicolas S. Arias

Contact InformationTown Hall Customer Service & Information Center, 41 Center St.,Manchester, CT 06040 (860) 647-5235

Advertise in this PublicationJournal Inquirer, AdvertisingRoseAnn Read, Acct. Executive(860) 646-0500 Ext. [email protected]

Editor’s Message

They say that love defies the laws of mathematics.As groups grow to encompass more and moremembers, the love doesn’t get divided among

them—but multiplied.

As the youngest of eight children, I’m sure I could have been readto more, played with more, and nurtured more. My parents lovemight have been an infinite wellspring—but their energy andtime were finite resources. I attribute my growth into a [more orless :-)] responsible adult to not just my parents but the manycaregivers and mentors in my extended family: my grandpar-ents, my friends’ parents, my adult neighbors.

Times have changed.

As we learned in the last issue of Better Manchester Magazine[see naf.townofmanchester.org for our complete archives], only

29% of youth in Manchester feel they have non-parent adult role models. The attachments that knit ustogether in the past—intergenerational ties, lifelong neighborhood bonds—have unraveled as familystructures change and communities become more and more transient. As traditional supports have fallenaway, the burden on parents and caregivers has increased.

This issue of Better Manchester Magazine takes a look at some more funny math: the Heckman Curve,the analysis of the Perry Preschool Study, research from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child. Allthese show that investments in the first years of life reap exponential rewards for both families and, economically speaking, society at large.

I invite you to explore the Town of Manchester’s own plan for pulling together, coordinating, and evaluat-ing Manchester’s investment in our youngest citizens. We introduce research that behind Manchester’sEarly Childhood Community Plan in our cover story [page 2]. Each of the following stories is headed witha “tear out” of the major strategies and objectives of each section of the plan: Family Support, Education,and Health. Parents and caregivers will find targeted resource briefs sprinkled throughout the issue.

Change is hard. It’s tempting to cling to the systems of the past out of habit, but the time has come toadmit when our current systems are no longer a good match for our needs. Manchester’s Early ChildhoodCommunity Plan is an invitation to build together the new structures that will ensure all Manchester children from birth through eight develop fully and are successful in school.

These adjustments will require an initial investment, yes. But when it comes to people, math is weird—and if we extend our sense of responsibility to, not just our family members and neighbors, but our entire community—and if we are patient and think long term—we will reap the rewards of a society that benefits us all.

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4

5

6-7

8-9

CONTENTSWhen it Comes to People, Math is Weird

Let’s pretend, for a second, that you are apolicy maker charged with these main goals:

Reducing crime•Fostering workplace productivity•Increasing high school (and college) graduation rates•Reducing teenage pregnancy•

Where would you invest?

In policing services? In convict rehabilitation to decreasethe odds of repeat offenders? In public job training pro-grams? Programs that foster adult literacy in language artsand mathematics? In tuition subsidies to ensure low in-come young people get the same education as anyone else?In policies that ensure middle and high school students getgreater attention by decreasing student-teacher ratios?

According to University of Chicago Professor James J. Heck-man, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in2000, if you want the biggest bang for your buck, you’d bewell advised to start earlier—way earlier.

Drawing on research from as far back as the sixties, Heck-man has come to the conclusion that investment in earlychildhood produces substantially larger dividends for thepublic, in the form of decreased prison sentences and wel-fare rolls, than investment in public sector sponsored jobtraining programs or any of the above mentioned solutions.

Consider this:

From 1967 -1968, at ages three and four, 123 children borninto poverty were randomly assigned either to a programgroup that received a high-quality preschool education orto a control group that did not attend preschool. Forty yearslater, in 2005, researchers from the HighScope EducationalResearch Foundation found that children who participatedin the program group were more likely to have graduatedhigh school, were more likely to own their own homes,and were less likely to be arrested [see figure 1].

But at an investment cost of $15,166 per child (adjustedfor inflation), the program hardly seems sustainable. Un-less, that is, you start thinking long term.

Again adjusted for inflation, the return to society was$244,812 per participant—or $16.14 per dollar invested.Of that return, $49,190 went to the participant in the formof increased earnings. $195,621 went the public in the formof increased revenue, such as increased tax payments, anddecreased usage of public benefits, such as welfare. 88% ofthe public’s return came in the form of crime savings [seefig. 5, p. 3].

The findings of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Study, as itwas termed, have been reinforced by the results of longi-tudinal studies performed in the seventies and eighties.Other longitudinal studies have shown that high qualityearly childhood programs aimed at children from birth toaged five resulted in participants who were:

More likely to graduate from a four year college; •Less likely to have used public assistance;•Less likely to engage in costly, high-risk behavior such•as smoking, drinking, and drug abuse;More likely to have health insurance;•More likely to have a stable employment history;•

and, again, more likelyto save the publicmoney long-term.

In contrast:

When investigating theJob Training Partner-ship Act, a jobs train-ing program fordisadvantaged youthwhich received bipar-tisan support as a wel-fare alternative in1982, Heckman found(to his surprise) thatthe $2 billion the fed-eral government hadinvested in the pro-gram resulted in zerowage increases for theenrolled participants.In fact, one studyfound African Ameri-can men who partici-pated in the trainingended up making lessthan those who didn’t.

Heckman’s research(which spanned adultliteracy programs toprisoner rehabilitation programs to high school equiva-lency programs) found many programs to not provideenough return to the public to justify, on purely financial

terms, the cost. In a 2006 article in Science, he concludedthat most skills remediation programs in the young adultand adolescent years were “economically inefficient.” [SeeThe Heckman Curve, Fig. 2.]

The point for Heckman is not that youth and adult pro-grams are not worth funding—but that they ought to beviewed as part of an overall strategy which allocates moreresources to early childhood development and then sup-plements that development with effective educationthrough adulthood. His thesis is that that this investmentwill result in the betterment of society as a whole throughthe development of a more cognitively and socially skilledwork force.

Or, as he puts it, in the form of the Heckman Equation [seeFig. 3]:

INVEST + DEVELOP + SUSTAIN = GAIN.

The Heckman Equation is a great argument forearly childhood investment for those who areconcerned with population level change. But

what if your concern is personal—not political?

Is there evidence that investment in the early years is goodfor children—and not just for the bottom line?

In a February 2013 inter-view on PBS News Hour,Heckman expressed con-cern that his policy pre-scriptions could beinterpreted as a form of so-cial control:

“I hate the word ‘improve’because that suggests akind of social planning, akind of normative action.What I’m thinking of is asense of capabilities. It’sbasically saying, give achild more possibilities todo whatever he or shewants to do with their life.So you give them more ca-pacities: more capacitiesto solve math problems,more capacities to domusic, more capacities tocontrol their anger ormaybe not control it, butthey could willfully beangry rather than just beangry impulsively.”

These increased capacitiesthat Heckman speaks of

are not just cognitive capacities but also the non-cognitivecapacities— socio-emotional skills, physical and mentalhealth, perseverance, attention, motivation, and self-confi-dence—which allow children to grow into thriving adults.

Ensuring that all Manchester Children Birth Through Eight Develop Fully and Are Successful in School

The Benefits of Investing in Early Childhood

The Heckman Curve

High/Scope Perry Preschool Study at 40

2 Better Manchester townofmanches ter.org

The Heckman Equation

Figure 1: Short-term and long-term effects of a high quality preschool program on the livesof children living in poverty.

Figure 2: Return on societal investment by age according to the research of economist James Heckman.

Figure 3: Economist James Heckman’s recipe for abetter world.

by Rosaleen Torrey

But how exactly do typical early childhood invest-ments in initiatives like home visiting programs andpreschool produce lasting effects in these children?And why are they so much more effective than in-terventions later in life?

The answer, according to Harvard University’s Cen-ter on the Developing Child, can be found in thebrain.

Consider this:

During the first few years of life, over 700 neu-•ral connections are formed every second. Ex-periences in early childhood determine whichof those connections are pruned and whichare left to become part of the brain’s architec-ture.The “serve and return” interaction between•infant and caregiver—that is, the responsive-ness (or lack thereof ) to a baby’s babbles andfacial expressions—becomes part of the child’sbrain architecture, shaping his or her socialand learning experiences throughout life.“Toxic” stress in Early Childhood—that is,•chronic stress due to poverty, neglect, abuse,or severe maternal depression—can lead tounderdevelopment of the hippocampus andprefrontal cortex, the areas of the brain mostresponsible for success in school and work re-lated tasks.

The brain’s plasticity declines with age, requir-•ing substantially more physiological “effort” tobuild new neural connections or break exist-ing ones [see fig. 4].

Programs that help families provide enriching andresponsive caretaking have lasting, long-term effectson children’s neural development. Young childrenraised with a strong attachment to at least one re-sponsive caregiver, a sense of security, and supportin building healthy habits have a head start in life.

The Center on the Developing Child puts it morestrongly:

“In other words, we can ‘pay now’ by ensuring pos-itive conditions for healthy development, or paymore later in the form of costly remediation, healthcare, mental health services, and increased rates ofincarceration.”

The implications of this research have notbeen lost on advocates and policy mak-ers. In 1990, social activist Geoffrey Canada

founded his block-by-block approach to eliminatingpoverty in Harlem on a “conveyor belt” theory ofchildhood development. His thesis? Investing inearly childhood, beginning with parent education—and continuing to support that investment throughthe elementary and young adult years—couldchange the trajectory for even the most disadvan-

taged children.

Now, Harlem Chil-dren’s Zone has at-tracted nationalattention and canboast gains in pro-gram participantssuch as: 100%school readinessrates among pre-school aged chil-dren and a 95%college acceptancerate among highschool seniors.

In 2013, inspired inpart by Canada’s ef-forts, PresidentObama rolled out acomprehens iveearly learningagenda that in-cludes parent edu-cation and supportand increased ac-cess to high qualityearly childhood pro-grams.

On February4, 2013, GovernorDannel P. Malloy an-nounced the estab-

lishment of a new state agency dedicated tocoordinating a system for delivering programs andservices to children from birth to age five and theirparents. The Office of Early Childhood marks Con-necticut as one among a few pioneering states to es-tablish state level coordination efforts to what hasbeen a fractured, disjointed system of delivering earlychildhood services.

Closer to home, in the fall of last year, the Manches-ter School Readiness Council (MSRC) publishedManchester’s Early Childhood Community Plan toprovide a coordinated approach to serving and sup-porting the Town’s youngest residents. This respon-sive, data-driven plan draws on the research on theimportance of early childhood development to pre-scribe coordinated efforts in three main areas: FamilySupport, Early Childhood Education, and EarlyChildhood Health.

In this issue of Better Manchester Magazine, we in-vite the community to engage with the key conceptsof our town’s plan to “Ensure that all Manchesterchildren birth through eight develop fully and aresuccessful in school.” To read the complete 38-pagestrategic plan—which includes action steps, perform-ance measures for each strategy, as well as an imple-mentation plan—visit http://schoolreadiness.townofmanchester.org/.

High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Public Costs and Benefits

Benefits of Investing (continued)


Figure 5: Public costs and benefits of investment in high qualitypreschool programming according to the Perry Preschool Study.

The Ability to Change Behaviors Decreases Over Time

Figure 4: According to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, the brain’splasticity — or ability to change — decreases over time.

Develop a mechanism to identify family needs across disciplines and to ensure that such needs are addressed in a coordinated manner so that each family has access to optimal support.

Support and increase family support services and nurturing home/ personal visits to ensure safe and nurturing home environments.

Provide neighborhood-based parent leadership development opportunities consistent with the Children, Youth, and Family Master Plan.

Provide neighborhood-based, culturally responsive outreach and education on available family support services in Manchester to parents/guardians, consistent with the Children, Youth, and Family Master Plan.

Train parent volunteers to become peer mentors to create stronger support systems for families within their neighborhoods, and implement a peer mentor program.

to parents/guardians, consistent with the available family support services in Manchester responsive outreach and education on Provide neighborhood-based, culturally

Children, Youth, and Family Master Plan.development opportunities consistent with the Provide neighborhood-based parent leadership

to parents/guardians, consistent with the available family support services in Manchester responsive outreach and education on Provide neighborhood-based, culturally

Children, Youth, and Family Master Plan.development opportunities consistent with the Provide neighborhood-based parent leadership

available family support services in Manchester

development opportunities consistent with the Provide neighborhood-based parent leadership

implement a peer mentor program.families within their neighborhoods, and mentors to create stronger support systems for Train parent volunteers to become peer

Children, Youth, and Family Master Plan.to parents/guardians, consistent with the

implement a peer mentor program.families within their neighborhoods, and mentors to create stronger support systems for Train parent volunteers to become peer

Children, Youth, and Family Master Plan.to parents/guardians, consistent with the

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Strategic Statement:

early learning opportunities and continued literacy support in order to perform at grade level.

Strategic Statement - Prenatal Care:

made accessible to pregnant women.

Strategic Statement - Childhood Obesity:Support and enhance initiatives and services to reduce childhood obesity.


of and access to available family support services.

Parents Aren’t the OnlyOnes Who Need SupportAre you an aunt, uncle, grandpar-ent, close friend, or neighbor whoprovides informal (maybe evenfree) childcare for a family mem-ber, friend, or relative? First of all,you aren’t alone. Unlicensed Fam-ily, Friend and Neighbor (FFN)caregivers provide the majority ofcare for Connecticut childrenunder age five whose parentswork. Second, support is avail-able. Although FFN care is lawfuland provides some advantages tocenter based childcare (includingcaregiver stability), many FFNcaregivers struggle with low rev-enue, social isolation, and a lackof professional development op-portunities. To begin to addresssome of these obstacles, the Of-fice of Neighborhoodsand Families has part-nered with Manches-ter’s Office ofEarly Childhoodto create theFamily andFriends Learnand PlayWorkshop—a free, 10-week work-shop andplaygroup se-ries for FFNcaregivers andchildren slated tobegin Fall 2014. Thecurriculum will coverchild development, discipline,parent engagement, school readi-ness, and health and safety. For afull course description, includingregistration information, see theenclosed Neighborhood AcademyCourse Catalogue, page 9or contact Sharon Kozeyat 860-647-5269.

T he strip turns blue, and you find out you andyour partner are expecting. You are, of course,overjoyed. You check out stacks of child development

books from the library. You go to every prenatal visit with asmile on your face. Because you have prepared so thoroughly,your child sleeps through the night from day one and you greeteach day of parenting well-rested and eager to face the day.

He meets every baby milestone a month early

and never cries. Because you are a good parent, your child by-passes the “Terrible Twos” entirely and never has a singletantrum. For your part, you play with your child every day,read to your child every night, and never, ever raise your voice.It’s all as you dreamed it would be—perfect!

And now, back in reality...

“There is no such thing as a perfect parent…It’s so importantI’m going to say it again if that’s okay. There is no such thing as

a perfect parent.” I am sitting in achild-sized chair, across a child-sizedtable, from Latasha Turnquest atEastern Connecticut Health Net-

work’s Family Resource Center (FRC) in Manchester’s Washing-ton Elementary School. The cheerful space is child-scale, packedwith books and toys; Turnquest’s desk, from which she hasserved as director for the past seven years, is tucked in the cor-ner.

One of the key duties of the FRC, according to Turnquest, is re-assuring parents and caregivers that their experiences—if not

perfect— are perfectly normal. “It’s normal for a one ortwo year old to have a tantrum. A child being opposi-

tional is very, very normal.”

On July 1st 2014, Turnquest joined the Man-chester Public School system to spearhead theestablishment of Family Resource Centers atfour Manchester elementary schools: Bow-ers, Waddell, Verplanck, and Robertson. Thegoal of Family Resource Centers is just whatit sounds like: “providing resources to fami-

lies.” Each FRC will provide families with chil-dren from birth through elementary school with

a network of serv-ices to help themlearn about child

development, build parenting skills, form relationships withother families, and discover and access community resources.Some of the specific programs/services planned are:

outreach (including home visits)•positive youth development for fourth and fifth graders•(including activities that promote self-esteem and goalsetting)resource and referral services (including child develop-•ment assessments for children from birth to age five)parenting workshops •playgroups (providing socialization for both young chil-•dren and their parents)

Continued on page 7.

In 2007, 9875 abuse and neglect cases were substantiated in Connecticut and four children died. The EarlyChildhood Plan’s Family Support section outlines Manchester’s strategy for decreasing the percentage ofManchester’s children from birth to age eight that have substantiated cases of abuse and/or neglect.

Nurturing the Nurturers

BrightStart WorkshopSee Neighborhood Academy Catalog, page 9.

ECHN Family Development CenterAdministers a variety of programs dedicated to helpingfamilies develop their strengths, parenting skills, andconfidence. Early Head Start provides low-incomefamilies with children under age three—or those whoare expecting—with educational home visits, child de-velopment assessments, health services, and links tocommunity resources. The Triple P (Positive ParentingProgram) provides home visiting, assessments, parenteducation, and life skills support to DCF and commu-nity partner families with children aged 0-17. The Ma-ternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home VisitingProgram (MIECHV) provides home visiting, parent-child social activities, parent education groups, and afatherhood initiative. ECHN Nurturing Families Net-work and Family Resource Centers also provide homevisits. For more information and a full list of services,visit www.echn.org/fdc or call the main office at 860-432-5278, Ext. 125.


Family Support Strategies

From Manchester’s EarlyChildhood Community Plan(http://schoolreadiness.townofmanchester.org)

by Rosaleen Torrey

ARE WE READY?

Develop a capacity to utilize volunteers from existing volunteer organizations, to assist community early childcare providers and elementary schools with providing language and literacy supports to young children.

Raise community awareness of the importance of early learning experiences and opportunities.

Assist local preschools and daycare centers in efforts to increase the quality of their services and the quantity of spaces available for families.

Offer a one week, half day, “Kindergarten Camp” in August to those students entering Kindergarten in September who did not have a preschool experi-ence, designed to prepare them for Kindergarten.

Provide professional development opportunities for private and public school teachers from pre-K through 3rd grade.

Develop a fund to purchase culturally relevant children’s books to be distributed to schools, childcare centers and families.

early learning experiences and opportunities.Raise community awareness of the importance of early learning experiences and opportunities.Raise community awareness of the importance of early learning experiences and opportunities.Raise community awareness of the importance of Raise community awareness of the importance of

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September who did not have a preschool experiAugust to those students entering Kindergarten in Offer a one week,

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T he first five years of a child’s life have atremendous impact on their long-term de-velopment. Now more than ever before,

conclusive evidence proves that early childhoodexperiences influence a person’s likelihood forsuccess throughout the course of their entire life.Critical social skills, overall emotional health, andthe capacity for reasoning and problem solving areall formulated in the years prior to kindergartenentry. A child who is already falling behind at thebeginning of their elementary education is sub-stantially more likely tocontinue struggling forthe remainder of theirschool years. In fact, re-search shows that atleast half of the ed-ucational achieve-ment gaps thatexist betweenlow- incomeand higher-in-come childrenbegin prior tothe start of kinder-garten. Moreover,once this gap is alreadyestablished, it can be ex-tremely difficult to overcome.

To set children out onto a path forsuccess, exposure to quality earlylearning opportunities are critical.Communities nationwide, for thisreason, are realizing the need for in-creased emphasis on the idea of

“school readiness”. The term “school readiness” is usedto refer to a child’s ability and level of preparedness tosucceed in kindergarten and all of the subsequent yearsbeyond. According to Sharon Kozey, Manchester’s EarlyChildhood Education Coordinator, the importance ofschool readiness can hardly be overstated.

“School readiness plays a huge role in ensuring bothshort term and long term success”, said Kozey. “We needto make sure that when kids enter school, they are readyto learn—socially, emotionally, physi-cally, and cognitively.” Longerterm, children who

enter school without being prepared are much less likelyto read and write proficiently by grade three—a risk fac-tor linked to lower high school graduation rates. In ad-dition, lack of school readiness is correlated with anincreased likelihood of drug and alcohol abuse, criminalactivity and imprisonment, and failure to secure stableemployment in adulthood. Reducing this vicious cyclerequires an active commitment to supporting schoolreadiness from families, schools, and communities to-gether.

A child’s school readiness is measured by anumber of indicators, including the

child’s ability to interact andcommunicate effectively withpeers and adults, their interestin literacy and mathematics,and their level of general andfine motor development.Additionally, a child shouldpossess the capability to fol-low basic but specific direc-tions, which is a key

component of early schoolsuccess.

School readiness also applies toparents, schools, and communi-

ties. It requires that schools are prop-erly ready for their incoming children,

and that families and communities have the ca-pacity to provide developmental opportunities for their

young students. A “ready community” offers sufficientresources and supports to families. Ready schools havethe critical elements needed to influence child develop-ment and success. And ready families create a home en-vironment which is conducive to the child’s health,wellbeing, and educational achievement. Continued on page 8.

An Overview of Manchester’s School Readiness Initiatives...








Education Support Strategies

YWCA Nike Tykes Early Learning Center& Childcare CenterA Manchester-based childcare center offeringhigh quality early learning experiences for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. YWCAcurrently operates three NAEYC accredited cen-ters in the greater Hartford region. Enrollingnow! For more information, call 860-647-9325.

Jump Start KindergartenA free six-week, half-day summer programlaunched by Manchester Public Schools for children who have never attended preschool.Children will be exposed to the kindergarten curriculum, develop school readiness skills, andbuild relationships with classmates. For more information, call 860-647-3483.

Manchester Preschool Resource GuideA 43-page directory published by the Manches-ter School Readiness Council to provide parentsand caregivers with a comprehensive list ofchildcare facilities and preschools in the Town ofManchester. The guide is available online athttp://schoolreadiness.townofmanchester.org orby calling 860-647-5269.

Early Childhood Education ProgramInclusive preschool program for children ages 3-5 with and without special needs located atBuckley Elementary School and the ManchesterPreschool Center. This integrated program promotes healthy emotional, social, cognitive,communicative and physical development of allchildren and provides ongoing assessment tochildren with developmental delays. Call 860-647-3483 for more information.

Child FindIn accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), Man-chester Public Schools offer free monthlyscreenings for preschool children. If you haveconcerns about your child’s development, call860-647-3483 to make an appointment.

by Christin Folwer


Here are some scarystats: In just one gen-eration, US rates of

obesity have approximatelytripled among preschoolers andadolescents, and quadrupledamong children 6 to 11 years ofage. Here in Connecticut nearly one-third of stu-dents in kindergarten and the third grade areoverweight or obese.

In the U.S., childhood obesity surpasses drug abuseand smoking as the number one health concern thatkeeps parents tossing and turning at night. Obesekids are more likely to have highblood pressure and high

cholesterol. They have a greater risk of developing di-abetes, bone and joint problems, and sleep apnea.They are more likely to have low self-esteem. If theybecome obese adults—which they are more likely tothan non-obese children—they will live six to sevenyears less than their peers and are more likely to getcancer. The health risks of obesity are greater thanthose of drinking, of smoking, and of poverty. Obe-

sity is the second leading preventable cause of

death in the United States—rightafter cancer.

Everyone knows childhood obe-sity is bad, bad news. And every-one wants to stop it.

On their website under the head-ing “A Growing Problem,” the Cen-

ters for Disease Control (CDC) writes this:

“What causes childhood obesity?

Childhood obesity is the result of getting too manycalories and not getting enough physical activity.”

If that’s the problem, the solution seems simple.Everyone concerned—(and everyone is concerned:parents; schools; national, state, and local govern-ments; the CDC; the World Health Organization; theFirst Lady)—has a clear blueprint for success. Sing itfrom the rooftops: “Eat right. Exercise.” Encourageand promote what the CDC terms “healthychoices”—and all will be well.

Right?

Except, consider this:

Nationally, there have been no significant•changes in obesity prevalence among 2-19years old or adults in the United States be-tween 2003-2004 and 2011-2012.

MSRC’s Health Work group, in partnership•with the University of Connecticut’s Masters inPublic Health program, has been collecting an-nual data on childhood obesity from each ofManchester’s ten public elementary schools. In2011, 33% of students were found to be over-weight or obese. Since then, the numbershaven’t budged—with roughly 1/3 of studentsfalling into the overweight/obese categories.

That’s discouraging.

Continued on page 7.








Develop baseline childhood obesity data for Manchester children.

Reach out to and connect with local expert partners – including, but not limited to, ECHN, Planned Parenthood, Manchester Community Health Center, OB/GYNs and family practitioners.

Raise awareness regarding the importance of prenatal care and availability of local resources.

Planned Parenthood, Manchester Community partners – including, but not limited to, ECHN, Reach out to and connect with local expert



prenatal care and availability of local resources.Raise awareness regarding the importance of

Health Center, OB/GYNs and family practitioners.





Develop baseline childhood obesity Develop baseline childhood obesity Develop baseline childhood obesity data for Manchester children.Develop baseline childhood obesity data for Manchester children.Develop baseline childhood obesity data for Manchester children.Develop baseline childhood obesity

From 2006 to 2010, the number of women receiving late and non-adequate

prenatal care declined from 25% to 19%. This decline, coupled with the

fact that the group had a difficult time connecting with local partners

around this issue, caused the Manchester School Readiness Council

(MSRC) Health Work Group to put this indicator on hold for the time

being. The updated health plan aims to implement the strategy “Support

and enhance the initiatives and services to reduce childhood obesity”

with the following short-term action steps:

Increase opportunities for children to be active

Partner with local agencies to provide information and supportive

services around each number in the 95210 campaign

Revise and maintain the 95210 website


Health Support Strategies

Changing More than Just Minds

How to Win the Waron Childhood Obesity

by Rosaleen Torrey

95210: Manchester’s Message for a HealthierYou CampaignThe 95210 wellness initiative, which has been imple-mented in a variety of cities and towns throughout thecountry, starts with a simple formula. Every day, everychild can aspire to: 9 hours of sleep, 5 or more servingsof fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of screen time, 1hour of physical activity, and 0 sugary beverages. Man-chester’s Board of Education has adopted 95210 as acommunity-wide strategy. 95210 has been promotedthrough the distribution of bookmarks and educationalmaterials, articles, a website, a “produce of the month”campaign, and even a mural. Find out more athttp://95210.townofmanchester.org or on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ 95210Manchester.

Manchester Trail GuidesFree, comprehensive trail guides to Manchester hikingand walking trails. Trail Mix: A Guide to Manchester’s Trailsand Pathways and Trail Mix II: A Guide to Manchester’s Neigh-borhood are available at Manchester Town Hall CustomerService Center, the Manchester Recreation Department,the Manchester Health Department, or online athttp://trailmix.townofmanchester.org. Or visit mytown-trails.com/manchesterct for the mobile application.

Manchester Resource Guide for a Healthier YouA free local guide to children’s health resources devel-oped by Manchester’s School Readiness Health WorkGroup. Parents, caregivers, and children’s health profes-sionals can request a free copy from Rhonda Dannehy,School Readiness Nurse, by calling 860-647-5270 orsending an email to [email protected]. Theguide is also available for download at http://school-readiness.townofmanchester.org.


But it’s not to say that there haven’t beenmeaningful changes for at least some pop-ulations:

The latest CDC data shows a large—•43%—decline in obesity among chil-dren between two and five years ofage. A February 2014 CDC report•showed a decline in obesity ratesamong low-income preschool agedchildren in 18 states.Four states and six local communi-•ties that made broad, sweeping pol-icy changes did show significant,community-wide declines in childobesity rates.

The question is:

What separates these communities—andpopulations—where interventions seemto be working from those where theyaren’t?

The authors of the CDC report specu-late that the decrease in obesity amongpreschoolers could be due to policychanges such as: greater investment inbreastfeeding support—breastfeeding isprotective against obesity—; changes tothe food package low income childrenreceive from the Special Supplemen-tary Nutrition Program for Women, In-fants, and Children; and new standardsfor physical education and nutrition inearly childhood programs.

According to an analysis by the RobertWood Johnson Foundation, the “com-mon thread” among the states andcommunities that reported a commu-nity-wide decline in obesity rates is theimplementation of “broad, sweeping

changes to make healthy foods avail-able in schools and communities andintegrate physical activity into dailylife.” Some examples of these changesinclude:

Prioritizing biking and walking in•community development andtransportation plans.Passing legislation that promotes•healthy schools and childcare fa-cilities.Incentivizing supermarkets to•build locations in underservedareas.Increasing opportunities for•physical activity through increas-ing the public’s access to existingpublic spaces (such as schoolgyms) and the development ofnew ones.

Clearly, the CDC is right. Changinghabits of nutrition and physical activ-ity—especially if we start with the veryyoung, when the brain is forming “thewiring” that will serve children intoadulthood—is the key to combattingboth childhood and adult obesity.

And, yet, it’s not that simple.

Changing habits on a population scalerequires more than education inhealthy choices. It requires community-wide efforts to make the healthy choicethe default choice.

In Manchester, the School ReadinessCouncil’s 95210 initiative [see resourcebriefs on pg. 6] is aimed at creating andreinforcing a community-wide cultureof the healthy habits that have beenshown to combat childhood obesity.

Manchester 2020, the town’s recentlyadopted plan of conservation and de-velopment, calls for efforts to increaseManchester’s walkability—not onlythrough providing safe streets andgreenways—but also through providingplaces to walk by and to includingparks, shops, restaurants, and work-places. According to the Director ofPlanning and Economic DevelopmentMark Pellegrini, Manchester’s other ini-tiatives to support biking and walkinginclude: an effort to close the gaps inManchester’s portion of the East CoastGreenway trail; a safe-routes-to-schoolprogram which facilitates non-car trans-portation to and from school; and aninvestment in bike racks throughoutthe city.

The Director of Parks and RecreationScott Sprague noted that the “LightedSchoolhouse” programs—a nationwidetrend in the seventies and eightieswhich facilitated drop-in use of schoolgyms during non-school hours—“fadedaway” due to a combination of factors.In the light of current trends, he thinksthese programs could be worth anotherlook—particularly with an eye towardproviding more structured activitiesthrough school and agency partner-ships.

Too often the advice to “eat right” and“exercise” becomes a moral mandate.Let’s acknowledge that it’s the respon-sibility of the entire community to cre-ate a culture where healthy food andhabits are just part of life. If we do that,we can really put Manchester on themap [see Fig. 6].

Nationwide Childhood Obesity Rates, 2003-2012

Progress in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity


Figure 7: Nationwide, obesity rates among preschool aged children have shown an overall decline since 2003-2004.

Figure 6: From 2008 to 2011, childhood obesity rates dropped in 18 states. Communitiesthat implemented broad policy changes—from Alaska to North Carolina—saw community-wide declines in obesity.

Changing Minds(Continued)

Continued from page 4.

From a policy perspective, Manchester’s investment of a portion of its Alliance Grant funding inthe establishment of FRCs at each Title I school represents an effort to close the achievementgap. Shelly Matfess, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services, says that the bur-den on parents to prepare their children for kindergarten is increasing. “School readinessis not just about academics—it’s social development; it’s emotional; it’s cognitive; it’s phys-ical. It’s a lot.” One of the functions of the FRCs will be assisting parents and caregivers ingaining the necessary resources and skills to prepare their children for kindergarten, aswell as welcoming parents with children 0-5 to the school community.

From the perspective of the Early Childhood Plan, investment in FRCs is part of an overallstrategy to decrease incidences of abuse and neglect in Manchester. Risk factors for childabuse include social isolation, lack of access to or knowledge of support services, and un-realistic expectations. FRCs provide what the Centers for Disease Control and Preventioncalls “protective factors” which buffer children from being abused or neglected.

From a parent’s or caregiver’s perspective, it looks more like this: You maybe were a littleunsure how you felt when the strip turned blue; maybe you were even a little scared.Maybe your baby DOESN’T sleep through the night from day 1, or day 30, or even day90—and you are feeling sleep deprived and kind of overwhelmed. Maybe your child hasmissed a milestone or two, but your pediatrician has brushed off your concerns—andyou aren’t sure where to turn. Maybe you have started to dread trips to the grocery store,feeling all eyes upon you, as your child throws a tantrum in the checkout aisle—andyou wish you knew someone who could commiserate. You love your child, of course—but maybe you don’t get in as much play time or reading time as you would like. Maybeyou feel overwhelmed sometimes or frustrated and struggle not to raise your voice.

Welcome to parenthood in real life.

There is no perfect parent, and every family struggles at least some of the time. Manchesterhas chosen to invest in supporting its families in the most important work they’ll everdo—raising their children.

For more information on Manchester Public Schools FRCs, contact Latasha Turnquest [email protected] or get in touch with the FRC closest to you by calling theschool’s main office.

Nurturing the Nurturers

School of Youth DevelopmentService Learning 101This 10 week course will connect students tomeaningful community service topics attachedwith academic learning, allowing personal growthand understanding of civic responsibility, throughan engaging reflective experience. Participantswill learn to become active citizens through lead-ership training, service based project research,selection, planning, organization, implementation,and evaluation. (For grades 6 through 8.)Meets: Tues., 3:15 -5 p.m., 10/7–12/18(No Class 11/4, 11/11)Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Kellie Sheridan, (860) 647-5262

Financial Literacy for YouthThis eight week course uses the FDIC MoneySmart curriculum developed for youth to helplearn the basics of handling money and fi-nances, including creating a positive relation-ship with financial institutions. Students withperfect attendance will receive a $25 stipend,compliments of the Rockville Bank Foundation.(For grades 6 through 12)Meets: Tues., 6– 8 p.m., 10/7-12/9(No Class 11/4, 11/11)Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand Families & Rockville Bank FoundationRegistration: Call Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

Girls CircleGirls Circle is a program for girls ages 9-18(separated into age-specific groups). It is anopportunity to explore what it means to be agirl, exchange ideas, and explore the future bydoing creative, fun and interactive activities. Itis designed to foster self-esteem, and help girlsmaintain authentic connections with peers andadult women in their community.Meets: Mid-September–DecemberLocation: Manchester Youth Service Bureau,63 Linden StreetAcademy Sponsor: Manchester Youth ServiceBureauRegistration: Call Heather Wlochowski, (860)647-5213

The Young EntrepreneursBe the ELearn business types, products & pricing, mar-keting, partnerships, agreements & contracts.Learn the process of creating a business plan& starting a business. Do market surveys,budget forecasts, exit strategies, ethics &more. (For grades 9 through 12.)Meets: Mon., 3- 5 p.m., 10/20-12/22Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesRegistration: Call Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

The Young Writers and Illustrators for Literacy ProjectOver the course of two semesters (October -May), high school aged writers and illustratorswill brainstorm, storyboard, write, edit, and il-lustrate a children's book with the goal of pro-moting early childhood literacy. This arts-basedservice project emphasizes the importance ofreading by grade three.Meets: Wed., 6:30-8 p.m.,10/15/14-3/25/15 Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesRegistration: Call Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

Pharmacy TechThis 10-week program provides students withthe foundation expertise in pharmaceutical ter-minology, filing medication order, pharmaceuti-cal calculations, pharmacology, pharmacy law,maintaining medication and inventory controlsystems and administration and managementof pharmacy practice. Meets: Tues. & Thurs., 6-8 p.m., 11/6-2/3/15Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesRegistration: Call Yvonne Matthews, (860)527-0147 X 284

Boys CouncilBoys Council is a ‘rite of passage’ program forboys ranging in ages 9-18 (separated into age-specific groups). Council provides a placewhere boys can come together and engage in‘guy talk’. It offers a safe place where boys canbe creative; express their ideas, and sharetheir thoughts, concerns, and goals. Meets: Mid-September–DecemberLocation: Manchester Youth Service Bureau,63 Linden StreetAcademy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Pierre Brillant, (860) 647-5213

Boyz to MenBoyz to Men is a site-based enrichment pro-gram designed to provide support to youngmen between the ages of 14 and 18 who canbenefit from the guidance, friendship and lifeexperience of an adult male mentor in a groupsetting. Youth will be exposed to positive activi-ties such as college tours, guest speakers andcultural events, as well as other fun activitiesand trips.Meets: Mid-September–DecemberLocation: Manchester Youth Service Bureau,63 Linden StreetAcademy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Pierre Brillant, (860) 647-5213

Sib ShopOpportunities for brothers and sisters of chil-dren with behavioral and developmental healthneeds to obtain peer support and education ina fun setting!Meets: Mid-September–DecemberLocation: Manchester Youth Service Bureau,63 Linden StreetAcademy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Heather Wlochowski, (860)647-5213

JourneyThe Journey program provides pathways toleadership. It is a service learning program withan emphasis on environmental education, lead-ership, and woodworking training. Projectsfocus on giving back to the Manchester com-munity while building relationships and learningimportant life skills.Meets: Mid-September–DecemberLocation: Manchester Youth Service Bureau,63 Linden StreetAcademy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Pete Wlochowski, (860)647-5213


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So, how is Manchesterdoing on the overall scaleof “school readiness”? Re-

cently collected data shows thatapproximately one-third of allManchester students begin kindergarten withoutever having attended preschool—a concerning fig-ure. This is most likely the result of a number offactors that are commonly seen nationwide, in-cluding financial barriers, difficulties coordinatingwork obligations with preschool schedules, anda general lack of understanding about the impor-tance of preschool education. High rates of tran-sience also play a role.

Fortunately, a growing number of efforts are underwayto enhance school readiness for all children in the com-munity, regardless of economic barriers. The town isthe recent recipient of a State Department of Educationgrant, which is supplying funding for forty additionalstudents to take part in high quality preschool experi-ences. Parents who participate in the program are ableto send their child to a full-day, year-long preschool foronly a nominal fee.

Additionally, significant strides have been made to en-sure that all children in Manchester have access tostructured opportunities for learning and social devel-opment prior to kindergarten entry. A recently estab-lished program known as “Jump Start Kindergarten” isavailable in the summer for kids entering kindergartenwho have never had a preschool experience. The half-day program runs Monday-Thursday for a full six weeksand is entirely free of charge. Transportation and dailysnacks are also provided. Children who participatelearn to develop school routines, build relationshipswith classmates, and learn skills to help them preparefor the upcoming school year.

I t’s also important for parents to realize thatthey, themselves, can facilitate very valuableeducational opportunities on a daily basis

from home. Moms and dads can benefit greatlyby connecting with their local library, which offersa variety of free, ongoing programs and activitiesfor young children. In addition, parents can sup-port critical cognitive and language skills by talk-ing to their child continuously, teaching themnew words, and pointing out simple color andnumber patterns. Last but certainly not least, par-ents can help their child tremendously simply byreading to them early and often. “Just reading toyour child has such a huge impact on develop-ment starting from infancy,” advised Kozey.

For more information and resources, visit the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood at ct.gov/oec

Are We Ready? Fall 2014 CoursesFor those who live, work or attend school in Manchester

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School of Youth DevelopmentMother/Daughter CircleThe Mother/Daughter Circle is a structured sup-port group. The purpose of the Circle is to pro-mote a healthy and sustaining bond betweenmothers and daughters during the transitionalyears from girlhood to young womanhood. TheMother/Daughter Circle provides a safe, consis-tent, strength-based approach to supportingmothers and daughters on their relationshipjourney. (Also open to other female guardians orcaretakers and the girls they care for.)Meets: Mid-September–DecemberLocation: Manchester Youth Service Bureau,63 Linden StreetAcademy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Heather Wlochowski, (860)647-5213

Manchester Youth CommissionThe Manchester Youth Commission is a diversegroup of youth (incoming 9th-12th graders), col-laborating with local government in effort to cre-ate open communication in the decision makingprocess, making it possible to strengthen thecommunity through the voice of youth. The ap-plication process is on-going with interviews forappointment consideration conducted in thespring. Commissioners meet during the schoolyear on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.Meets: September through June 2014/15Academy Sponsor: Youth Service BureauRegistration: Call Heather Wlochowski, (860)647-5213

School of Civic EngagementGovernment 101 This ten-week course is an exciting series ofclasses taught by Manchester City Leaders.The course participants will get an inside look atthe municipal operations covering everythingfrom public safety to public libraries. Comeaway with an understanding of how to navigatemunicipal services and how to become involvedin local affairs. Meets: Thurs., 6-9 p.m., 9/11-11/12Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce Street (1st Class)Academy Sponsor: Town of ManchesterRegistration: Call Tricia Catania, (860) 647-3102

Manchester Citizens’ Police Academy The Manchester Citizens’ Police Academy is a“hands-on” sixteen week program designed tobuild relationships between the community andthe Police Department. Participants gain valu-able insight into how their Police Departmentworks and provides services to the community.Must be 18+.Meets: Thurs., 6-9 p.m., 9/11-11/12Locations: Manchester Police Department, 239East Middle TurnpikeAcademy Sponsor: Police DepartmentRegistration: Call Bernie Hallums, (860) 645-5599 X 13532

Community Emergency ResponseTeam Training ProgramTrain to become a member of C.E.R.T. to helpthe Town in case of emergency when all otherresponders are either tied up or unable to re-spond. The team is comprised of 5 major subteams: the Communications Teams, the ShelterManagement Team, the Emergency OperationsCenter Support Team, the Search and RescueTeam, and the Fire/Police Team. The team alsolearns how to take care of their family andneighbors during a weather related emergency.Meets: TBD (Call below for dates and times.)Locations: Public Works, Botticello Building,321 Olcott StreetAcademy Sponsor: Manchester EmergencyManagementRegistration: Call Don Jannelle, (860) 647-5259

School of Creative DevelopmentAll Seasons GardeningGrowing food is a delicious and healthy pasttime for you and the whole family! Anyone canlearn to grow their own food all year round. Inthis class we will talk about selecting a site togrow, the type of soil to grow in, and the vari-eties of vegetable to grow at various times ofyear. This class is for all levels of experience.All of this information, with hands-on demon-strations will be completed in two classes.Meets: Tues. & Thurs., 6-9 p.m., 9/9, 9/11Academy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesRegistration: Call Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

Starting Your Own Landscaping or Gardening BusinessThere are many forms of gardening and land-scaping businesses to choose from. These ses-sions will overview different gardening typesand the benefits of starting your own landscap-ing or gardening business.Meets: Wed., 6:30-8:30 PM, 11/12, 11/19Academy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesRegistration: Call Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

Writers Support GroupThe Writers Support Group welcomes writersand would-be writers of all genres and levels ofexperience. We’ll spend six weeks discussing(and learning to overcome) obstacles to creativ-ity. Along the way we’ll learn how to spot thewriters arch-nemesis perfectionism, why firstdrafts are supposed to stink, and how the hard-est part of all is getting started. Each meetingwill consist of a group discussion, followed bytime to work on independent projects.Meets: Mon., 6:30-8 p.m., 10/20-12/8Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesRegistration: Call Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

The Young Writers and Illustrators for Literacy ProjectOver the course of two semesters (October -May), high school aged writers and illustratorswill brainstorm, storyboard, write, edit, and illus-trate a children's book with the goal of promot-ing early childhood literacy. This arts-basedservice project emphasizes the importance ofreading by grade three. Meets: Wednesday, 6:30-8 p.m., 10/15-3/25/15Location: Eastside Neighborhood ResourceCenter, 153 Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of Neighborhoodsand FamiliesContact: Melissa Stewart, (860) 647-3089

School of Early ChildhoodDevelopmentBrightStart™ WorkshopThis workshop is for parents of young childrenand emphasizes how parents can stimulateproper brain development during a child’s earlyyears. The workshop is organized around fourkey elements, or ABCD’s of healthy child devel-opment: Attention, Bonding, Communicating,and Diet. In addition, families will be providedwith a healthy lunch and resources during theprogram, such as: books, toys, and safetyitems. The children’s program is led by a trainedand dedicated staff member. *Childcare Pro-vided Infant-8 years.Meets: Sat., 10/4–11/22Location: The Learning Center, 42 Prospect StAcademy Sponsor: Building Healthy Families,Inc.Registration: Call Peter Tullson, (860) 357-0121 or [email protected]

Neighborhood Kids’ FairThere will be fun and games, crafts and food, abounce house, and the imagination playground!Just drop by and learn about the BrightStart™Workshops and apply. No registration required.Meets: Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 9/20Location: Neighborhood Resource Center, 153Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Building Healthy Families,Inc.Contact: Peter Tullson, (860) 357-0121 or [email protected]

9 Better Manchester townofmanchester.org

Fall 2014 CoursesFor those who live, work or attend school in Manchester

Family and Friends and Neigh-bors (FFN) Learn and Play

WorkshopThis 10-week workshop is specifi-cally for FFN Caregivers. FFNCaregivers are non-parental child-care providers who are a familymember, friend, or neighbor. Care-givers will formally learn develop-mentally appropriate activities foryoung children to promote wellnessand school readiness in a collabo-rative and supportive environment.Weekly workshops include: Com-municating with Families; Disciplineand Guidance; Hands-on Develop-mentally Appropriate Activities;Routines, Scheduling and Nutrition;Effective Environments and Pedi-atric Dental Associates; Fire andCar Seat Safety; Intro to CPR andFirst Aid. Program includes a play-group for children 36 months to 5years old, being cared for by theFFN Caregiver. Playgroup weeklytopics include: Open and CreativePlay; Husky Reads Nutrition; Phys-ical Fitness; Outdoor Play; Bookand Boogie; Community Helpers;and Yoga.Meets: Wed., 9 a.m.– 11 a.m.Location: Nathan Hale Building, 160Spruce StreetAcademy Sponsor: Office of EarlyChildhood DevelopmentRegistration: Call Sharon Kozey, (860)647-5269

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