Our July Newsletter

JULY news & updates

JULY 6th, 2022

CEO Corner

Jennifer D. Barahona, LCSW

As all of you have witnessed, Norwalk ACTS has gone through a period of dramatic growth and change, particularly over the past two years.

Last year, we launched our first annual partnership survey (with over 70 responses!) to further guide our collective work, provide an opportunity for those who interact with Norwalk ACTS to give feedback to the backbone team, and use the results to develop accountability metrics for how we operate.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our second annual partnership survey! Your response is critically important so that we can compare results and measure our progress. Our goal is to report the results in the form of a partnership progress report that we will present to the membership on an annual basis to hold ourselves accountable.

We ask that you please take a few minutes now while you are reading this to give us the feedback we need to adequately represent the interests and experiences of our partners moving forward.

NORWALK ACTS NEWS

We are looking for candidates for this amazing opportunity to help support and build a workforce development infrastructure for Norwalk residents. To apply for the position, please email a brief cover letter and your resume to info@norwalkacts.org.

Learn More

THINGS WE ARE LOVING

READING: Lessons in Chemistry

by Bonnie Garmus

OUR WORK

SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY

In this event, organized by The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, in partnership with The Norwalk Art Space, we invite you to come and hear personal stories of lived experience, stories that reflect the performers' joys, triumphs, and disappointments: poignant stories, funny stories, stories of being human. You will also hear stories about encounters with racism, prejudice, and microaggressions. Most of all, you will hear stories where you just might find ... yourself.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY

JULY 31st, 2022 DEADLINE!

Have you applied for the $250 Child Tax Rebate?

The 2022 state budget provides for a child tax rebate of $250 per child, up to a maximum of $750 per household. While it is called a tax rebate, practically, it will work more like stimulus checks.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

PART-TIME EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY ADVOCATE OPPORTUNITIES

Do you know of any Norwalk parents who are interested in providing support to other Norwalk parents with children 4 years old or younger? We have paid opportunities for parents to develop supportive relations with preschool parents with a central focus on improving parent understanding and completion of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3) and supporting parents’ voices at the local and regional level in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood (OEC).

If you are interested in this position or know someone who may be, please contact M.J. Chironna at mjchironna@norwalkacts.org.

YBI’s Community Day will be held on Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 at Veterans Park in Norwalk, and the rain date is Sunday, July 24th.

There is still time for providers to sign up! Any provider interested in having a table can register below.

Save the Date!

Event: Let’s NorWALK with Spark!

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Calf Pasture Beach, 6-7 PM

Sparkler sparks healthy early development for children (0-5) and families in Connecticut. Check-in on your child’s development and get a library of 1000+ play activities just right for your child’s age. Get regular coaching and advice. Sparkler is in English and Spanish.

Interested in Sparkler? Download Sparkler from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Or scan the QR Code with your mobile device to go straight to the right place for downloading.

PRENATAL TO 3RD GRADE

Kindergarten teachers will now be getting a detailed skills inventory completed by preschool teachers for incoming students that attended funded programs in Norwalk. This is part of the ongoing effort by the PreK-K Transition workgroup to close the gap between expectations on what it means to be Ready to Learn in Kindergarten. This is in addition to the Incoming K Summaries they have been getting for each student for the past several years.

If you have any questions about this or would like to learn more, please contact Paula Palermo (ppalermo@norwalkacts.org)

Norwalk Public Schools Family Center is now open at 2 Park Street - a resource for families to access:

Enrollment and district services
Family and community engagement
Student wellness
Language and academic services

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Triangle Community Center has two (free) upcoming opportunities to participate in our LGBTQ+ 101 training!

LGBTQ+ 101 for parents and families will be on Monday, July 25, 6pm-7:30pm. Anyone and everyone who is looking to learn more about how to support the LGBTQ+ young people in their lives is welcome to participate!

LGBTQ+ 101 for Youth (ages 13-17) will be offered Thursday, July 28, 4pm-5pm. Youth trainings are intended to be an introduction to and exploration of the diversity in our communities when it comes to our sexual and gender identities and beyond. The primary goal of youth trainings is to affirm the experiences of young people, and to leave them feeling empowered and equipped to advocate for themselves and others.

Both sessions will be held in-person at TCC (650 West Ave, Norwalk, CT 06850). RSVP for either session at this link.

With any questions, please feel free to reach out to Cadence Pentheny at cadence@ctpridecenter.org.

COLLEGE AND WORKFORCE READINESS

INTERESTED IN BECOMING MORE INVOLVED?

JOIN NORWALK ACTS

GIVE WHILE YOU SHOP: Are you an Amazon shopper? Set Norwalk ACTS as your selected charity on Amazon Smile, and a portion of every purchase will be donated to transform how a community works. Get started here.