Children First Groton (CFG) began in 1999 through the
Children First Initiative and was known as Groton’s Early Childhood Community
Collaborative. As a recipient of a Discovery grant from the William
Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, the collaborative officially became Children
First Groton. In collaboration with the Groton community, CFG designed
and is implementing a Community Plan focusing on important issues in early
childhood for Groton families. In 2016, funding from the William Caspar Graustein
Memorial Fund ended, and Children First Groton began to write grants and work
with the Town and City of Groton to fund all initiatives as an independent
collaborative.
CFG is comprised of early childcare providers, parents, community members,
non-profit and for-profit service providers, librarians, health care providers,
Groton Public Schools, Town and City Elected Officials and Departments, DCF,
Town and City Police and Fire Departments, and other persons interested in
working on early childhood issues in the Groton community. The work is guided
by the CFG Leadership group and is implemented through four work groups
(Physical Health, Education, Mental Health, Safe/Strong Families, and Finance
& Communications) and five Neighborhood Groups; all of whom are currently
working from the town-wide Community Plan.
The LEARN Project is the
fiduciary agent for the collaborative. You can contact them at: 44 Hatchetts Hill Road, Old Lyme, CT 06371, ATTN: Joanne Lund
