Section 17b-112l - Initiative for two-generational service delivery to encourage educational, health and workforce readiness and self-sufficiency(a) There is established a two-generational initiative to disrupt cycles of poverty and advance family economic self-sufficiency. The initiative shall collaborate across public and private sectors to support early childhood care and education, health and workforce readiness and economic self-sufficiency across two generations in the same household. Households may include, but need not be limited to, children and their mothers, fathers, noncustodial parents and other primary caregivers.(b) The Office of Early Childhood shall serve as the two-generational initiative's coordinating agency. The initiative may include review and consideration of the following, within available appropriations, to attain family economic mobility and success: (1) Coordination and delivery of programs that improve access to services and equity in opportunity to achieve family economic success. Such programs may include, but need not be limited to, early learning programs, adult education, child care, housing, apprenticeship and job training, transportation, financial literacy, health and mental health services, and sufficiently supported pathways to family-sustaining workforce opportunities, offered at one location, whenever possible; and(2) Alignment of state and federal resources around the family including the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant funds, and services to equip such families with the tools and skills needed to overcome obstacles and engage opportunities.(c) Implementation of the initiative shall foster the comprehensive two-generational service delivery approach for early care and education and workforce readiness in learning communities that may include, but need not be limited to, New Haven, Hartford, East Hartford, West Hartford, Norwalk, Meriden, Windham, Enfield, Waterbury and Bridgeport. The initiative shall be implemented in partnership with parent and family leaders to determine the priorities and challenges of low-income households. Coordinators of the initiative shall foster a peer-to-peer exchange and technical assistance in best practices between learning communities that shall be shared with the advisory board established pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. The staff of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity shall serve as the administrative staff to the learning communities.(d) A Two-Generational Advisory Board shall be established as part of the initiative to advise the state, the legislature and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management on how to foster family economic self-sufficiency in low income households through a comprehensive two-generational service delivery approach for early child care, education and workforce readiness. The board shall work in partnership with philanthropic organizations, as available, to provide support, technical assistance, guidance and best practices to the participating communities in the initiative designated pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. The board shall consist of (1) one member of the General Assembly appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall serve as a cochairperson; (2) one member of the Senate appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who shall serve as a cochairperson; (3) one member representing the interests of business or trade organizations appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; (4) one member with expertise on issues concerning physical and mental health appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; (5) one member with expertise on issues concerning children and families appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; (6) one member of the General Assembly appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; (7) one member appointed by the Governor; (8) representatives of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and scholars who are experts in two-generational programs and policies, including, but not limited to, at least one such representative and scholar with experience in developing strategies to achieve racial equity and social justice; (9) parent or family leaders representing low-income households selected by the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, who shall constitute one-fourth of the board; and (10) other business and academic professionals as needed to achieve goals for two-generational systems planning, evaluations and outcomes selected by the cochairpersons. The Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator's designee, shall serve as ex-officio members of the advisory board. The staff of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity shall serve as the organizing and administrative staff of the advisory board.(e) Not later than July 1, 2020, pursuant to the advisory authority established in section 3-125, the Office of the Attorney General, in consultation with the Two-Generational Advisory Board, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the Chief Data Officer appointed pursuant to section 4-67p and the Connecticut Preschool through Twenty and Workforce Information Network, established pursuant to section 10a-57g, shall develop a uniform interagency data sharing protocol to remove legal barriers to promote cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration under this section to the fullest extent permitted under state and federal laws.(f) Not later than December 31, 2020, and annually thereafter, the Two-Generational Advisory Board, in consultation with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children, education, housing, human services, labor, public health, transportation and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies. The report shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) Shared indicators and goals for interagency collaboration developed pursuant to section 1 of public act 19-78 *,(2) improvements in Two-Generational Initiative service coordination and streamlined resources,(3) methods of improved family engagement to assure continuous feedback from family leaders regarding the priorities and challenges of low income households, and(4) recommendations to (A) improve systems, policy, culture, program, budget or communications issues among agencies and service providers on the local and state levels to achieve two-generational success; (B) eliminate barriers to two-generational success; and (C) improve data sharing within and between agencies to inform systems and policy direction to achieve family economic success.(g) Within available appropriations, parent and family participants of the Two-Generational Initiative may be compensated for time and travel related to Two-Generational Advisory Board meetings and Two-Generational Initiative activities related to asset building, leadership and community engagement.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17b-112l
( June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 401; P.A. 16-79, S. 1; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 153; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 141; P.A. 18-19, S. 1; 18-129, S. 2.)
Amended by P.A. 19-0117,S. 124 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2019 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2019.Amended by P.A. 19-0078,S. 2 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2019 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2019.Amended by P.A. 18-0129, S. 2 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2018 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2018.Amended by P.A. 18-0019, S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2018 Regular Session, eff. 5/25/2018.Amended by P.A. 17-0002, S. 141 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2017 Special Session, eff. 10/31/2017.Amended by P.A. 16-0003, S. 153 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2016 Special Session, eff. 7/1/2016.Amended by P.A. 16-0003, S. 131 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2016 Special Session, eff. 6/2/2016.Amended by P.A. 16-0079, S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2016 Regular Session, eff. 6/1/2016.Added by P.A. 15-0005, S. 401 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2015 Special Session, eff. 7/1/2015.