We know more families must choose between paying for utilities, housing and food. With an adequate supply of diapers costing familes $100/month, many children remain in dirty diapers for days which can lead to abuse and disease as well as developmental problems. To that end, the United Ways of Greater New Haven, Coastal Fairfield County and Western Connecticut are partnering with The Diaper Bank to collect half a million diapers  for lower income families in our 33-town region.  Area businesses and civic leaders joined with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Congressman Jim Himes to celebrate the diaper drive and call our community to action.  You can learn more about the issues and hear their comments from the December event on our website.

While our stories might be different, our experiences in overcoming fears and finding hope are probably a lot alike.  To that end, I would like to share a story that means a lot to me. 

Exhausted and dreading the idea of adding one more activity to my week, I justified maintaining the status quo-I could always take on something later.

The City of New Haven's Department of Youth recently unveiled its New Haven Youth Map at the Wilson Branch Library last week. I was pleased to see youth, parents and agencies at the event exploring this timely and beneficial tool that connects parents and youth to an array of online "bulletin board" services and opportunities, including summer and after-school programs as well as internships. 

While I.Q. scores serve as predictors for success in life and are often associated largely with genetics as well as socio-economic status, Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times, writes about how research around early education and I.Q.'s is proving long-held assumptions false. Evidence shows that I.Q.'s are in fact more malleable than we thought. In fact, intensive early childhood education can raise I.Q. and imrove long-term outcomes.