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Breaking the Cycle of Violence Shot While Playing Outside Renee Beavers is a licensed master social worker who works as an HVIP Specialist with the IPC. Among the cases she took on during the HVIP’s first year involved an 8-year-old boy who was shot while playing outside in his neighborhood. “I was able to

The Power of People: How Co-Design Enhances Project Management Tools By Annika Anderson, MPH: Have you ever developed a project management tool that's supposed to make your life easier, but ends up causing more frustration or inefficiency? You're not alone. In Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health (the Office), we attempt to “work smarter, not harder”

From Snowballs to Ski Slopes: Preventing Winter Injuries in Children By Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA: If you are like me, then you appreciate all four seasons. Of them, winter is my favorite. Through our work in the Injury Prevention Center , an initiative of Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health , I see how winter can be a time for incredible fun — snow forts

North Hartford Ascend's Approach to Strengthening Families By Jacquelyn Rose, MPH: This is the first blog in a three blog series regarding North Hartford Ascend’s Inaugural Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework Community of Practice. In September of 2024, Childhood Prosperity Lab (the Lab) led the inaugural North Hartford Ascend Strengthening

How to Prepare and Support Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders This School Year By Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett, MS, CCC-SLP: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a tough time adjusting to change – so they’ll need additional guidance and support to succeed in school during COVID-19. Connecticut Children’s autism specialist Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett, MS, CCC-SLP shares tips. Create a visual

Celebrating 60 Years of Medicaid: 60 Reasons It Still Matters By Christian Petersen: For six decades, Medicaid has served as a critical lifeline for millions of children and families, offering access to essential health services, protecting vulnerable populations, and strengthening communities across the nation. To honor this milestone, we’ve compiled 60 reasons

10 Steps to a Better Morning! Get Your Child Into a Back to School Routine Now After months of sleeping in, staying up late, and enjoying a lot less structure, it’s a big adjustment for kids and teens to head back to school. You can set them up for an easier transition with these tips for a great morning – right down to packing a backpack the night before.

Happy Holidays During COVID! Week #4: Care Packages to Make Quarantine Special During COVID-19, your family may have lots of people to thank and in-person celebrations to make up for. So in time for Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, here’s a care package how-to for spreading holiday cheer. This is the fourth week of Connecticut Children’s holiday series

Innovating with Purpose: Semantic Saturation By Jacquelyn M. Rose, MPH: This is the first in a series of blogs describing Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health’s journey to cultivate and nurture a culture of social innovation. Over the course of the last fiscal year, a small, multi-disciplinary team from Connecticut Children’s

Food is Medicine: The Essential Connection Between Food Security and Health By Nancy Trout, MD: By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH For more than two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought devastating loss along with political, economic and social disruption to our nation. While we no longer see televised images of snaking lines of cars containing food insecure families lined up for

Teaching Empathy in Action: The Meaning Behind Pajama Day As you settle into the new school year—organizing supplies, marking sports schedules, and syncing calendars—there’s one date worth circling now: the second Friday of December. That’s when students, teachers, and communities across Connecticut, and the region, come together for PJ

What’s Next? Helping Your Teen Decide What to Do After High School By Lauren K. Ayr-Volta, PhD: For most of their lives, kids and teens are told exactly where they’ll be and what they’ll be doing in the year to come. Their teachers and families prepare them for the transition from one grade to the next, and for the move from elementary to middle to high school. Then, at the

A Coordinated Approach to Childhood Asthma in the North Hartford Promise Zone In Hartford’s Promise Zone, programs like Easy Breathing for Schools and North Hartford Ascend are transforming how asthma care and child development support are delivered to students across the community. These initiatives show how targeted, school- and community-based efforts

White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health By Nancy Trout, MD: By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH For the first time in over 50 years, the White House convened a conference of stakeholders with a goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity in the U.S. by 2030 – the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health

How to Help Your Child Use Crutches Safely By Nicholas Giampetruzzi, PT, MPT: When your child gets hurt and needs crutches, it can feel a little scary—for them and for you. The good news? It’s easy for kids to learn how to use crutches safely and comfortably. With a little practice and support, most kids get the hang of it quickly. Let’s dive into why