On September 17, the Cradle to Career Executive Team submitted the following letter to the Stamford Public Schools Board of Education. We are pleased to report that on September 22, the Board of Education voted to continue offering Domus programs in the Stamford Public Schools.
September 17, 2020
Dear Members of the Stamford Board of Education:
On behalf of the Executive Team of Stamford Cradle to Career, I am writing to express our support for the Domus Knights and Domus Viking Programs. Stamford Cradle to Career is an organization focused on racial and educational equity for all children and their families. We also believe in leveraging all stakeholders in the community – parents, youth, civic and nonprofit organizations, business, and philanthropy – to contribute to the ecosystem of support that families need outside of the school system to be successful. The Stamford Knights program provides the necessary emotional and motivational supports many of our students need to stay engaged and leverages philanthropic funding to do so. The data supports that the program engages students successfully – the average school attendance rate of participating students is 92%.
The Cradle to Career model puts children and their families at the center of all decisions. We believe that youth and families know best the supports and services they need to succeed. The outpouring of testimonials from the many Domus families who have made their voices heard this past week is validation that the Domus Knights and Viking Programs are a resource that youth and parents feel they need to navigate the high school years.
We strongly urge you to reconsider the Board’s decision to remove the Domus Knights from Stamford High and prevent the model to be implemented at Westhill High School. As our country and community continue to wrestle with the effects of the COVID pandemic highlighting racial inequities, it seems counterproductive to remove a fully funded program that supports many Black and Brown students and their families during this time of incredible stress.
Sincerely,
Bridget Fox
President
Stamford Cradle to Career
Isabel Almeida
President
United Way of Western Connecticut
Bob Arnold
CEO
Family Centers
Anka Badurina, PhD
Executive Director
Building One Community
Barbara Carr
Director, Women’s and Children’s Service Line
Stamford Health
Olympia Della Flora
Assistant Superintendent
Stamford Public Schools
Mike Duggan
Executive Director
Domus Kids
Linda Franciscovich
Jackie Heftman
Member
Stamford Board of Education
Marc Jaffe
CEO
Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County
Kim Kispert
IBM, Retired & Community Member
Alice Knapp
President
The Ferguson Library
Nadene McKenzie Reid
NatWest Markets/Parent
Joseph Montalbano
Principal
HLW International LLP
Michael Pollard
Chief of Staff
City of Stamford – Mayor’s Office
Matt Quinones
CEO
Stamford Public Education Foundation
Vin Tufo
CEO
Charter Oak Communities
Rowena Track
CEO
Boys and Girls Club
Dudley Williams
President & CEO
Mill River Park Collaborative
Candy Yeager
Board Member
United Way of Western Connecticut