New & Noteworthy
With a Long-Term Commitment to Supporting Young Children and Their Families, Wethersfield Names Kimberly Bobin Full-Time Family & Early Childhood Coordinator
Over the past several years, Wethersfield has made significant strides in ensuring that the town’s youngest residents are healthy, ready for school, and making the most of their community. Much of this work has been accomplished through a partnership between the Town of Wethersfield, the Wethersfield Board of Education, the Wethersfield Early Childhood Collaborative and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which has developed programs, resources and staff specifically dedicated to early childhood in the Town of Wethersfield. Kimberly Bobin, Wethersfield’s Family & Early Childhood Coordinator, has taken the lead on many of these efforts.
In order to enable Bobin to build on the work she has done for children and families, Wethersfield has announced that Bobin will be the town’s first full-time Family & Early Childhood Coordinator, a position shared by the Town and the Board of Education.
Sally Dastoli, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction said, “Kim is a master community ‘connector’ who continues to passionately advocate for young residents and their families in Wethersfield. She provides them with a voice and helps to connect them to important resources to ensure children are ready for school and the families are well connected to the community. Kim is making a positive difference for the families and children in Wethersfield.”
Bobin’s part-time position was initially made possible through a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The position is grant funded by the Foundation with a match from the Town and Board of Education. She has served as a bridge among the Town, the Board of Education and community partners and coordinates town and school services for young children and their families.
“Kim has taken an existing pathway among groups interested in young children and families and turned it into a highway of important intersections between all of the municipal entities serving Wethersfield’s families and young children and has extended and strengthened it through town support,” said Richard Sussman, Director of Early Childhood Investments at the Hartford Foundation. “Early Childhood Investments at the Hartford Foundation is focused on supporting and strengthening municipally based work with young children and families and using this knowledge to inform state policy and practice. And Kim is at the forefront of this important practice.”
For further information Kimberly Bobin at kbobin@wethersfield.me