Do you care for a young child? Are you thinking about growing your family someday?
Raising children is a big job. There is always something new to learn. You may have questions about your child's growth, health, or learning. You may also wonder where to find help for your family. It can feel overwhelming to individually inventory the many early childhood programs and resources in your community.
Finding the right programs can be hard. There are many choices, and it is not always easy to know where to start. North Hartford Ascend (Ascend) is a prenatal-to-career initiative supporting families residing in the Clay Arsenal, Upper Albany and Northeast neighborhoods; Ascend exists to bridge that very gap!
North Hartford Ascend in Action
Ascend recognizes the importance of a coordinated family navigation system to ensure children and families living in the North Hartford Promise Zone have the support they need to reach their full potential. Caregiving can be hard - accessing programs, services, and resources should not be harder. Ascend brings together partners within the community, as well as residents, to 1) identify barriers to accessing services and 2) co-design solutions to ensure programs, services and other resources are reflective of what the community actually wants and needs.
Working Together for Families
In 2025, the community elevated the need for accessing and navigating early childhood programs available in the community. Ascend typically shares information about early childhood programs, services, and resources every year at Community Conversations but usually takes the form of a brief presentation followed by questions and answers. We took this ask from the community as a cue that they sought a more engaging format that would allow them to gain a more in-depth understanding of the programs and services offered. In response, Ascend’s Partner Engagement workgroup was tasked with developing an action plan to address this emergent need, leveraging Acsend’s five thematic workgroups as collaborators.
Across conversations, it became clear that a Community Conversation would effectively increase visibility of early childhood programs and services. Community Conversations are a monthly convening where community members and residents come together to get connected or learn about various programs and resources in the community, co-design around an emergent need of the community, learn more about the Ascend system, and foster a sense of community.
The name of the event, Little Steps, Bigger Futures: An Early Childhood Information Session, was coined during Ascend’s Service Provider Meeting. At the Service Provider Meeting, composed of providers serving children and families in North Hartford, attendees discussed what format would be the most effective way to share information about programs, services and resources with families in a way that would be adaptable and address the wants and needs of families in the room at the Community Conversation.
The group ultimately landed on a mixed-methods approach: fair style and fireside chat, so that families had a quick and easy way to get access to early childhood information via the fair but also had the opportunity to in-depth discussion about a specific program and/or service (i.e., WIC, Injury Prevention Center, 211 Child Development, City of Hartford-Early Learning Division), develop a relationship with program leads, and allow the space and time needed to get more in-depth questions addressed.
It was also in the Service Provider meeting that the idea to provide childcare arose because if we are having an early childhood focused event we should assume caregivers might bring young children with them. This resulted in us inviting Amanda Naimie from Arts for Wellness to facilitate a workshop for youth to engage with while parents learned more about early childhood resources, programs and services.
The early childhood vendors invited to participate were informed by co-design efforts in the Partner Engagement workgroup and Service Provider Meeting. At this time, the group identified what partners should be represented at this kind of information-driven event. The confirmed attending vendor list is as follows:
- 211 Child Development
- Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Services
- Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center (IPC)
- City of Hartford Early Learning Division, Maternal and Infant Outreach Program
- The Village for Children and Families
- Hartford Public Library
- Carter Oak Health Center
- Hartford Public Schools Office of Enrollment and School Choice, and;
- The Department of Children Family and Youth (DCFY) - Parents Connecting Parents. To learn more about these programs, click here.
The Community Conversation was facilitated at one of the five target schools, S.A.N.D Elementary School in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood.
Families Help Make the Difference
The best ideas often come from families and community members. When people share their ideas, Ascend can build programs that meet real needs. By listening, learning, and working together, we can help more children and families have a bright future.
Join Us
Would you like to help make a difference?
We would love to hear from you. Watch for future co-design sessions, community workshops and community events. Your ideas can help build a stronger North Hartford for every child and family. Visit our website to learn more