Local Governance Partner

In July 2025, as part of the CT Office of Early Childhood’s vision for Connecticut’s early childhood system and their Early Start CT initiative, the Collaborative for Colchester's Children (C3) became a Local Governance Partner (LGP) for the town of Colchester.

Per the OEC, the “LGPs will act as the community’s early childhood hub and focus on building trusted partnerships with families, providers, and the broader community. The LGP will also be a place for families and community members to get involved in shaping a plan for their community’s approach to supporting the holistic needs of families and children birth to five years old.”

C3 was already doing much of this work as a local early childhood collaborative. With this new program, C3 will work more closely with the State and community members to identify family needs and then advocate to get those resources.

The LGPs are made up of the following four subgroups:

Local Governance Partners Fiduciary – the entity responsible for signing the Contract and receiving funding. For the C3, this is the Town of Colchester.
Local Governance Partners Community Table – a collaborative space that serves as a neutral, inclusive forum where diverse organizations, parents, and stakeholders come together to engage in open dialogue, share insights, and work towards collective community goals. C3's Leadership Work Group will serve as our Community Table.
Local Governance Partners Liaison – individuals who coordinate and assist the efforts of the LGP to meet the needs of the community, deliver services and activities, supervise the Parent Ambassador(s), visit ESCT programs to support and enhance quality and compliance through on-going monitoring and consistent feedback to providers. C3's Early Childhood Coordinator fills this role.
Parent Ambassadors – trained parent leaders within the community who serve as a trusted messenger for families and support parents and families across the entire community.

The new CT Early Childhood Education Endowment will help fund the work of LGPs as well as the expansion of state-funded childcare slots.