DCFI LogoDanbury Children First Updates
Parent Leadership / Parent Engagement
June 2009 Volume 2, Issue 3
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Facts About Danbury Children First

Each year:

1,500 Resource Directories Distributed

100 Graduates of Parent Programs

800 Books Distributed

10,000 Parents and Children Reached

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Read below for 3 examples of how Danbury Children First's programs are making a difference in our community.

1. Broadview Middle School Library

2. Indoor Play Space for Young Children

3. Recreation for Children with Special Needs

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Dear Friends,  

You can help the children of Danbury grow into a bright future.

Through programs at Danbury Children First, hundreds of parents are getting more involved in their children's education and in community-wide issues affecting children. As a result, children are performing better in school, and they have more access to the community resources they need to build a solid foundation for life!

Please help Danbury Children First by making a gift. For as little as $10, you can help us empower parents to grow a bright future for thousands of children.

Click on the Make a Donation links above or below to see your donation options. Or mail your donation today to Danbury Children First, 83 West St., Danbury, CT 06810.
 
Thank you for supporting Danbury Children First. If you have recently made a donation, we thank you for your support.

Linda A. Kosko
Executive Director

Sondra Bradford Jennings
Chair, 2009 Annual Appeals
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Broadview Middle School Benefits from Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) Project

Each parent who participates the Parent Leadership Training Institute completes a project to benefit the Danbury community. This year, PLTI student Deepa Suresh recruited 3 volunteers to help out in the Broadview Media Center twice each week. Andrea Anderson, Broadview's Media Specialist explains the impact this has had on the school:

"They have made the Broadview Media Center a better place for our children," Andrea says. When the children ask her why it is easier to find books now, Andrea tells them, "It is because of the women who have volunteered to help out in our library." She adds, "With over 1,000 children who use the library, we need all of the help that we can get."


More Than 160 Families Use Indoor Play Space--Thanks to PLTI Graduate

For her community project, 2008 PLTI Graduate Katherine Tucker wanted to create an indoor play gym where parents could take their preschool children on winter days. She wanted the program to be affordable, so all families who wanted to could participate.

To turn her dream into a reality, Katherine used the skills she learned in PLTI to cultivate a partnership with Danbury's Police Athletic League (PAL). Using the PAL Building and donated play equipment, the Preschool Open Gym program now runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 am to 1 pm on days that the Danbury Schools are open. More than 160 families have registered, paying a fee of only $30 for each 4-6 month session. The children have a place to exercise and play, and the parents and caregivers enjoy some social time together out of the house.

Katherine says, "How gratified I am to have been a part of this process! I can honestly say that it never would have happened without the push I got from my participation in PLTI."


Danbury's Children with Special Needs Have More Recreation Opportunities

In 2005, parents involved in Danbury Children First's Greater Danbury Child and Family Network identified a need for more recreation programs for Danbury's children with special needs (including children on the Autism Spectrum, children with cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, and other delays and diabilities).

The parents developed a survey that proved the need for the programs, and presented their results to the Danbury's Director of Parks and Recreation. He worked with the parents to establish an Adaptive Swim Program to serve children with special needs in Danbury. Since then, Danbury has also offered a music and movement program and recreational baseball for children with special needs.

In 2008, PLTI Graduate Lauren Ziegler and another parent partnered with the Danbury Youth Soccer Association to bring the first TOPSoccer Program for Children with Special Needs to our area. The program brings more than 60 children and 60 young adult and adult volunteers out on the soccer field for fun, exercise, and a feeling of belonging.

Danbury Children First gave these parents the support they needed to advocate for their children. Now these children have recreational and social opportunities that have enabled them to make new friends and get exercise. And their parents no longer feel their children are being "left out" of the Danbury community.