Press Releases
04/23/2019
Governor Lamont Announces Elena Trueworthy Will Serve as Connecticut’s Head Start Coordinator
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that Elena Trueworthy of New Britain will serve as the director of the Connecticut Head Start State Collaboration Office. In this role, she will be responsible for helping support implementation of the federal Head Start program, which provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and patient involvement services to low-income children and their families. The position is housed within the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), the state’s leading agency that serves young children from birth to five and their families, and is authorized by the federal Head Start Act.
“We have a real opportunity in Connecticut to impact young lives from an early age so that as they grow, they can achieve greater educational opportunities that lead to success through their careers as adults,” Governor Lamont said. “I am eager to have Elena working in this position – she truly has hands-on experience with Head Start and already knows so many of the people in this community who are affiliated with this program.”
“For nearly 20 years, Elena has worked to support high quality early childhood programs through grant-making, professional development, networking and coaching,” OEC Commissioner Beth Bye said. “She has also been a part of some of the most innovative work in the nation using population-level measures of child development and wellness – to then focus community efforts on improved child and family outcomes. Her experience with Head Start will be critical to the Office of Early Childhood as we work to build a more coordinated early childhood system.”
“I am excited at the significant potential to elevate the voice and the role of Head Start as a critical partner in Connecticut’s early childhood system,” Trueworthy said. “I look forward to being a part of the Office of Early Childhood leadership team and will work to create and strengthen collaboration that benefits all of our young children and their families, particularly those of low-income to ensure that they have the resources to succeed in life now and in the future.”
“The Connecticut Head Start Association enthusiastically supports the appointment of Elena Trueworthy for the position of director of the Connecticut Head Start State Collaboration Office,” Jerry Reisman, Executive Director of the Connecticut Head Start Association, said. “She brings a wealth of experience in both Head Start and statewide systems building. Her appointment will greatly enhance the coordination of services systems in addressing the needs of Connecticut’s most vulnerable young children and their families.”
Trueworthy currently serves as associate director of early childhood investments at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, where since 2016 she has co-managed a portfolio inclusive of grants that support child health, parent education and leadership, community engagement, family childcare, bilingual career pathways, and program capacity building. Immediately prior to that, from 2011 to 2016 she served as the director of the organization’s Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative, in which she led a 350-member collaborative to improve childcare quality and access by focusing on professional development, innovative pilots, and policy change. In addition, she worked in two Head Start positions for at the Human Resources Agency in New Britain, including as the special services senior manager from 2006 to 2011, and as family and community development manager from 2001 to 2006.
An active member of her community, Trueworthy has volunteered with several organizations including with the Connecticut Commission on Equity and Opportunity, the Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, and various local community-led groups to promote and advance the strengths of diversity.
Trueworthy earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in human services from Springfield College.
She will begin serving in the position on April 29.
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