Dominique Johnson

My work to advocate for and improve early childhood literacy continues! Early in October we celebrated the $1 million I successfully advocated for in the state budget ($500,000 in each fiscal year over the next two years) at Norwalk Hospital during National Book Month. With this funding every baby born at a hospital in the state will be given free books and their parents and caregivers access to the tools and resources they need to be empowered and successful in their roles as their child’s first teachers.

In mid-November, our state’s Commissioner of Early Childhood Beth Bye joined me in an early literacy roundtable I convened along with a core group of members from Norwalk’s Early Childhood Development Initiative. We heard from educators and other leaders who represent a diversity of stakeholders and changemakers in our community, all working to improve the cognitive development of our infants and readiness of our toddlers for kindergarten. I am very grateful for Commissioner Bye’s leadership and strong advocacy for our youngest residents and the opportunity to highlight all of the innovative work being done here at home in Norwalk with her and her team.
 

A huge thanks to Connecticut Office of Early Childhood  Commissioner Beth Bye for visiting Norwalk for this in-depth conversation about what we are doing in partnership together here for early childhood literacy and child development. Our early childhood educators, providers, and community advocates are doing some of the most collaborative and impactful work in the state and I am so proud to have brought us all together! And thank you to the first convening of the Early Childhood Development Initiative for hosting this fantastic conversation.

 
At the end of November, the South Norwalk Neighborhood School welcomed guests from Connecticut Children's Medical Center as two first-grade classes followed along closely during the reading of "The Thankful Book." I was proud to facilitate this new connection between Norwalk Public Schools and Connecticut Children's, leading to this generous donation of books to South Norwalk Neighborhood School. A huge thank you to Connecticut Children's for these wonderful donations of children's books to Norwalk Public Schools! Thank you CT Children's for your ongoing commitment and leadership on children's literacy in our state, including with your Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Programs!