State Senator Bob Duff
June 12, 2009
Duff, Local Directors: Loss of Family Resource Centers Would Leave Hundreds Without Support
Norwalk — Proposed budget cuts to the tune of $12 million over the next two years could injure Norwalk’s school-based family resource centers and the hundreds of families who make use of their services, state Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) said today.
Senator Duff joined with area family resource center directors, parents and children in Norwalk at Naramake School to protest the funding cut, which would affect all of Connecticut’s 62 centers — including those at Naramake, at Fox Run Elementary School and at the Side-by-Side Community School.
“Governor Rell wants to balance the state budget on the backs of children and families, and that’s not smart or sustainable,” said Senator Duff. “We need to find ways to solve our financial problems, but we cannot jeopardize child development in the process. Family resource centers serve great needs in our communities and they do it on the ground level. They make a positive and lasting impact on thousands of young lives. As we make difficult cuts to solve our financial problems, we have to make sure that we’re positioning ourselves for future success. I don’t believe that taking the ax to these programs and removing services from families that need them is in line with building a strong future for the state of Connecticut.”
“Norwalk’s Family Resource Centers provide a critical home/school connection through before and afterschool care, preschool, early learning groups for infants and toddlers and parent education opportunities,” said Mary Oster, director of the Naramake School Family Resource Center. “This vital home-school connection is also an integral part of Norwalk's Early Childhood Action Plan. Family Resource Centers utilize existing facilities and accomplish much with available resources. Inclusion in next year’s budget would allow us to continue to provide all Norwalk families with much-needed services.”
Family resource centers provide community-based access to early childhood and family support services to foster the optimal development of children and families. They offer parent education and training, family support and referral services, preschool and school-age child care, positive youth development services and teen pregnancy prevention, family day-care provider training, school readiness, tutoring and English-as-a-second-language courses.
In October, Governor Rell cut $317,973 from the state’s family resource centers as part of her second budget rescission package.
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