EdAdvance Awarded $100K Grant to Address Prenatal-Three Homelessness

EdAdvance has been awarded a $100,000 Thrive from the Start State Capacity Building Grant to lead a statewide initiative aimed at improving service coordination for pregnant people, infants, and toddlers facing homelessness or housing instability in Connecticut.

“Connecting expectant parents and their young children with stable housing and integrated services is foundational to educational success and positive child outcomes,” said Elena Trueworthy, Interim Commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. “This grant is a critical step toward reducing barriers and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive from the very beginning.”

EdAdvance will collaborate with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, the Connecticut Department of Housing, Head Start on Housing, the Housing Collective, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, the Connecticut Infant Mental Health Association, the Connecticut State Department of Education, and other state and regional partners. Support from the Northwest CT Community Foundation will help identify sustainable funding strategies to maintain and grow the work long-term. The grant, awarded through the national Thrive from the Start initiative, focuses on aligning systems across early childhood, housing, health, and homeless response sectors. EdAdvance, along with community and state partners, will lead efforts to integrate services, promote evidence-informed practices, and address the root causes of family homelessness.

“We are thrilled to receive this capacity building grant, as very little attention has been given to the needs of young families experiencing homelessness and the supports required to mitigate it,” said Michelle Anderson, Director of Early Childhood and Family Programs. “Research tells us the early years matter, and the instability of homelessness can affect the development of young children. Raising awareness, providing education, and strengthening systems are critical to this work.”

“We know that reducing chronic stress helps foster healthier, more stable environments for families,” added Catherine Murphy, Senior Research Manager at Prevent Child Abuse America. “By partnering across sectors at the local, state, and national levels, we can strengthen systems and prevent homelessness for our youngest children.”

EdAdvance was selected from a competitive pool of applicants in recognition of its strong leadership, policy partnerships, and extensive experience as the regional McKinney-Vento Homeless Support liaison. In addition, thanks to strong collaboration among Connecticut’s state agencies, the state’s approach to this issue is viewed as a model for other states seeking to integrate early childhood and housing systems.

This initiative is part of a broader effort led by ZERO TO THREE and partners including Housing Is, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevent Child Abuse America, and the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers. Ten states received grants as part of the Thrive from the Start network, supported by funding from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative.

About EdAdvance

EdAdvance is one of Connecticut's six Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs). Our mission as the RESC in western Connecticut is to promote the success of school districts and their communities. Collaboratively with them, we provide educational and related services.

About Thrive from the Start

Thrive from the Start brings together leaders from across the early childhood, housing, and homelessness systems dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive.  

Thrive from the Start brings together leaders from across the early childhood, housing, homelessness, health and child welfare systems dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Partners in Thrive from the Start include ZERO TO THREE, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevent Child Abuse America, Housing Is, and the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers. Learn more about Thrive From the Start’s national policy agenda focused on solving PN-3 homelessness and housing instability and our work to build a growing network of organizations committed to cross-sector solutions for a coordinated, holistic support system at thrivefromthestart.org.