Just imagine parents, middle school students, high school students, educators, mental health professionals, businesspeople, coaches, grandparents and members of the general public from a variety of backgrounds uniting to deal with the critical issues facing today’s children - issues such as bullying, communication, respect, and resiliency. Imagine that this diverse group got together to present free and open to the public programs that enable energizing and constructive dialogue geared for immediate use within everyday life.

This is not simply an imagination. This is what the Community Coalition for Children created more than ten years ago, when it set out to arm the southeastern Connecticut community with the appropriate tools to face and overcome the wide and ever-changing variety of issues facing children and their families.

Our Beginnings

Eleven years ago, a group of local volunteers were talking with one another about the issues and concerns they faced within their own families. They realized their common angst and decided to bring parenting expert Adele Faber to the area to talk about How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.

This was a major undertaking for the group and they soon realized that they couldn't do it alone. They combined resources with twelve other local organizations, and within the year that they worked together to coordinate Ms. Faber's lecture, the ad hoc committee seemed to take on a life of its own.

In that first program year, 750 people attended Ms. Faber's lecture on a Monday evening with 400 people participating at follow-up workshops the next day. Following the success of the lecture, and eager to continue the momentum created by the community partnerships that had been formed, the Community Coalition for Children formally organized and officially launched.

Today

With an expansive membership of public, independent and alternative K-12 schools, colleges, community/social service agencies, learning consortiums, hospitals and youth service bureaus, corporations and individuals, the reach of the coalition is extensive. From the Coalition's cornerstone program: a presentation and workshop each October (attracting more than 1,200 active participants), to teen summits and professional workshops throughout the year, the CCC serves as a catalyst for local and regional change, empowering families of the region to transcend traditional socio-economic, ethnic and institutional divisions. This unique forum unites wideranging voices, energies, resources and talents in Eastern Connecticut to discover practical solutions for challenges that face us all.