Month: April 2021

Senator Anwar Joins Governor Lamont, Advocates for Promote American Rescue Plan Support for Early Childhood Education and Childcare Programs

MERIDEN – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Children’s Committee, joined a group of state leaders including State Senator Mary Daugherty Abrams (D-Meriden), Governor Ned Lamont, Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye, Department of Children and Families Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes, Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA CEO John Benigni and Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati to discuss and promote the funding plan for child care and early childhood education laid out in the American Rescue Plan. The federal funding is expected to infuse millions of dollars into Connecticut’s efforts in helping children develop, including through upcoming childhood engagement programs. Those assembled gathered at the YMCA Child Care Center in Meriden.

“After a year of remote learning, of the pressures of the pandemic, we owe it to our children even more to make sure they have the resources and support necessary to not only recover but thrive,” said Sen. Anwar. “The American Rescue Plan will provide millions of dollars to directly help so many families in our state, especially in children. Funding will support summer enrichment programs and educational support programs that will help provide our younger populations with the support they need and deserve, in the immediate future and for years to come.”

“I want to make sure we come out of this horrible pandemic stronger on behalf of everyone, and no one is left behind,” said Governor Lamont. “Meriden is a model of how we ought to do things, and right here in the center of town is the YMCA, making sure our children get the opportunities they deserve and the right start. This is the greatest expansion of early child care in the history of our state through the American Rescue Plan. We’ll be able to make sure every kid who wants to go to camp has that opportunity. It’s been a tough year but Connecticut is coming out of this stronger. We’re all in this together; if we didn’t take care of each other during this last year, we’d be worse off. It’s going to be a great summer in our state, but I hope it will be a wonderful summer for our children.”

Through funding in the American Rescue Plan, said Commissioner Bye, the state will receive up to $170 million toward child care stabilization, of which $120 million has been designated to support programs such as the YMCA. Groups supporting children will receive several grants with funding specifically targeting communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many slated to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Connecticut’s summer enrichment programs will be bolstered through $11 million in funding to expand existing programs and build out new and innovative ones through grants, with the intent of supporting as many children as possible.

Further support for children in Connecticut through American Rescue Plan Act funding will provide grants to serve as scholarships to allow families to subsidize the cost of summer programs such as summer camp; expand access to recreation and educational opportunities statewide in the summer; provide hands-on summer experiences for children; and provide grants to support youth past the summer, with development of programs for students between the ages of 12 and 17, investing in youth employment and recruiting and training 500 college students statewide to work as mentors for children in summer programs.

Among additional support for early childhood and family needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the state will commit $346 million to the Office of Early Childhood. In addition to the above programs, the state will pay for Care4Kids parent fees, allowing working parents access to child care, provide free summer pre-school for 10,000 children ages 3-4 and supplement home visiting programs, among many other initiatives recently announced.

Senator Anwar Votes to Protect Vulnerable Residents, Protect Public Health by Passing Legislation to Remove Non-Medical Vaccination Exemptions

Today, following hours of debate and discussion, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined his colleagues to protect vulnerable residents and protect public health by voting in support of legislation that will eliminate non-medical exemptions for vaccines, protecting the safety of thousands of Connecticut residents and protecting residents who are medically unable to be vaccinated against dangerous diseases.

“As a physician, I know firsthand the impact that infectious diseases can have on both an individual’s health and a community’s health. Vaccines serve as a safety net. They don’t protect only those who choose to take them; they benefit all of our society, especially those who cannot receive protection themselves if they are medically compromised,” said Sen. Anwar. “We have seen in recent years, both statewide and nationally, the consequences of reduced vaccination rates; they lead to outbreaks of diseases we have previously controlled. I’m proud to support this legislation in the name of science and in the name of public health.”

Passed by the House in a bipartisan manner, House Bill 6423, “An Act Concerning Immunizations,” will end the non-medical exemption for vaccinations in Connecticut. Medical exemptions will continue to be allowed for immunocompromised residents. Use and adoption of a non-medical exemption, often declared on religious grounds, has grown in recent years, though all major religions have given support to vaccinations, stating the societal benefits of their use outweigh potential drawbacks.

Increasing use of the non-medical exemption has led to preventable outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases, including measles, which is covered in the required MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine for young children. In 2019, the United States experienced its greatest number of measles cases since 1992, with most cases considered likely to spread and cause outbreaks among unvaccinated populations.

In Connecticut, the number of children claiming non-medical exemptions has risen annually since 2017-18, with the 2019-20 school year seeing that number rise of 8,328. States including New York and California have eliminated these exemptions to protect those who cannot take regular vaccinations.

Medical professionals statewide have applauded the legislation. Doctors from Yale and Columbia Universities endorsed removing non-medical exemptions, noting they are often tied to increases in unvaccinated residents in communities. The Central Connecticut Health District’s medical representatives noted vaccinations are aimed to protect communities.

The legislation, as currently written, eliminates the non-medical exemption for individuals attending public and private schools including higher education, child care centers and family and group day care homes. The medical exemption to vaccinations remains standard. An amendment made to the legislation will “grandfather in” individuals enrolled in grades K-12 or higher who received exemptions prior to the bill’s passage. Children enrolled in prekindergarten or day care programs with prior religious exemptions generally must comply with immunization requirements by September 1, 2022 or two weeks after transferring to a different program, though the timeframe can be extended if a child’s provider writes a declaration recommending an alternative immunization schedule.

The bill also requires the Department of Public Health to create a medical exemption certificate to be used by October 1; requires the DPH to release annual immunization rates for each public and private K-12 school in the state; establishes an advisory committee on Medically Contraindicated Vaccinations to advise on issues concerning medical exemptions from immunization requirements; and requires DPH to evaluate data on immunization exemptions.

Senator Anwar, Representative Linehan, Children’s Committee Fighting to End Child Sexual Abuse

Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) and State Representative Liz Linehan (D-Cheshire/Southington/Wallingford), Senate and House Chairs of the Children’s Committee, gathered on the steps of the State Capitol with allies to discuss upcoming legislation currently considered by the Committee intended to fight and end child sexual abuse. April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the legislation was discussed just before the House entered session.

“As a parent and a legislator serving as co-chair of the Children’s Committee, I want people to know that even one child being a victim is too many,” said Sen. Anwar. “Rest assured that we will systematically legislate that no one will hurt our children or rob a child of their childhood. Today, the proposed bills will provide us with more ammunition to protect our children.”

“Ending child sexual abuse has always been a top priority of mine, and by extension, of the Children’s Committee,” said Rep. Linehan. “These bills individually, but especially in totality, will go further to prevent child sexual abuse than ever before, because they focus on three important points – they protect kids while in their ‘safe spaces’ like school, sports, and camps; they educate and empower kids and parents; and they collect data which will be used to shape prevention policy for years to come.”

Sen. Anwar and Rep. Linehan were joined at the Capitol today by Sarah Eagan, Connecticut’s Child Advocate; Marissa Michaels, a Connecticut survivor of teacher sexual misconduct; and representatives from organizations including Beth Hamilton, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Deb Kelleher, executive director of the Annie C. Courtney Foundation, John Cattelan, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance of YMCAs, Dr. Sabrina Trocchi, President and CEO of the Wheeler Clinic and Michael Williams, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.

Legislators discussed several key pieces of legislation currently being considered by the Legislature, including the following:

• House Bill 6113, “An Act Concerning The Provision of Information Concerning Child Sex Abuse,” which would require childhood sports, camps and youth groups to include information on grooming and sexual abuse as part of registration; it is currently passed unanimously out of committee. As many as 95 percent of sexual abuse incidents can be prevented through education, making this focus important.
• House Bill 6399, “An Act Concerning Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey,” which would add a question to an annual survey given to middle school and high school students across Connecticut to better understand the prevalence of adult sexual misconduct toward children; it passed the Children’s Committee 12-1, unanimously passed the Education
• Committee and has bipartisan co-sponsor support.
• House Bill 6417, “An Act Concerning Background Checks for Certain Employees of Youth Camps,” which would require summer camps licensed by the Office of Early Childhood to utilize background checks for employees over the age of 18; passed out of the Children’s Committee 12-1 and has bipartisan co-sponsor support.
• House Bill 6511, “An Act Requiring Background Checks For Youth Sports Coaches, Trainers and Instructors,” requires coaches, instructors and trainers over the age of 18 to undergo background checks; passed unanimously out of Children’s Committee unanimously with bipartisan cosponsor support.