Danbury PLTI Now Accepting Applications

Danbury Children First is pleased to announce that it is currently accepting applications for the 2015 session of the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), and will be holding an information meeting for interested applicants. PLTI is a free 20 week training program designed to give participants the tools to become effective leaders in the community on behalf of children. “PLTI means empowerment, knowledge, confidence and translating passion into action. PLTI makes you rise above yourself to understand issues around us and work towards solutions,” said Sapna Sarat, a 2014 graduate of PLTI in Danbury.

Who should apply? Parents, grandparents, young adults, foster parents, and other community members who wish to become effective leaders and change agents on behalf of children. The course includes a retreat to develop group cohesion, followed by weekly sessions focusing on topics that include: the impact personal history has on perception of leadership; embracing and working with diversity; understanding policy and program budgets; familiarity with local government and the law; forming useful coalitions; and building community. Each participant is expected to complete a community project in which they practice their civic skills, and the program concludes with both a local graduation and a statewide graduation at the State Capitol in Hartford. PLTI is offered free of charge to participants, and also provides dinner and a Children’s Leadership program designed to develop leadership skills among the children of PLTI participants.

PLTI is a civics initiative of the Connecticut Commission on Children, and runs at sites across the state. Earlier this year the Connecticut Commission on Children received a grant to translate PLTI into other languages, and as a result Danbury Children First will be offering PLTI in Spanish and English in 2015. Danbury Children First is proud to offer the pilot program for PLTI in Spanish for the State of Connecticut, given our diverse Danbury community and the demand for Spanish PLTI that exists here.

Anyone who is interested in applying to take PLTI is also welcome and encouraged to attend “A Taste of PLTI”, which will be held on Wednesday, November 12^th from 6:30 – 8:00pm in the Community Room of the Danbury Police Station. This event is designed to convey the look and feel of a typical PLTI session, to answer questions, and to conduct applicant interviews. For more information and an application, or to sign up for “A Taste of PLTI”, please contact PLTI Coordinator Katherine Tucker at 203-797-8088 or via email at katherinet@danburychildrenfirst.org.