News

1 year into pandemic, evidence shows certain mental health treatments are improving outcomes and reducing racial disparities

Child Abuse Prevention Month marks an important time to discuss childhood abuse, how it shapes children’s lives, and what parents and communities can do to be active partners in prevention.

The Village for Families & Children has just been awarded the first-ever National Top Workplaces Non-Profit Industry Award, one of only two non-profits in Connecticut to earn such a distinction. Top Workplaces serves more than 60,000 organizations in the United States and hundreds in Connecticut. The awards are based exclusively on anonymous staff surveys.

24% of student body chronically absent: The Village, Hartford Public Schools and Travelers to take action

The Village for Families & Children and KIDSAFE, an affiliate of The Village, have received $17,500 in grant funding from Southern Connecticut Gas under Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit program.

The Village for Families & Children was determined that the thousands of children who benefit from its annual toy drive – The Holiday Giving Tree – wouldn’t miss out because of the pandemic. With so many employees working from home and large gatherings prohibited, participating companies, Village staff and dozens of additional Village supporters have found new ways to help.

Galo Rodriguez has made significant contributions to growing The Village’s resources, bolstering programs on prevention and early intervention, and integrating its strengths in behavioral health services with primary care providers.

Despite widespread closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many to transition from in-person to virtual tax filing, more residents in central and northeastern Connecticut took advantage of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program this year.

The volunteer-run Auxiliaries of The Village for Families & Children have been supporting programs that help transform the lives of children and families for over 60 years. The shops closed in March due to COVID-19 but are now starting to reopen. Thanks to their dedication and commitment, the Glastonbury, Simsbury, Suffield and West Hartford Auxiliaries contributed $229,012 to The Village this year.

The Village for Families and Children, along with The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), Catholic Charities, and Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), received a $9.1 million award to develop a partnership that will manage the regions’ federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

The death of George Floyd has elevated a conversation about racism and racial inequities in America. Now, more than ever, every organization, agency and individual must ask itself how it can do more to dismantle systemic racial inequalities. This includes The Village for Families & Children.

Child sexual abuse awareness and prevention are becoming increasingly necessary as the coronavirus pandemic rages on, trapping children in households with their abusers and isolating vulnerable families from the resources they need to get help.

Watching my garden grow shares similarities with the gradual re-opening of our nation from the COVID-19 pandemic. I can only imagine the amount of planning and preparation that the leaders of our agencies, cities and states have had to do—they are operating on a much larger scale than my 12×50 foot garden plot.

With guidance from UCONN epidemiologist Dr. Kevin Diekhaus, The West Hartford Village Second Chance Shop will reopen at the end of June and the Glastonbury shop will open after July 4. Simsbury and Suffield shops plan to open around Labor Day.

While VITA sites across Connecticut suspended in-person support in compliance with COVID-19 distancing mandates, the VITA program now offers free tax help to low and moderate income filers through internet-based virtual appointments.