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To celebrate the daily and unique contributions of our staff, families, partners
and the children and youth in our care.
| 8/1/2012 |
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August 1, 2012 (very early) The disability movement has long used this Latin phrase (in English, of course) to prompt and prod agencies to become more inclusive of family voices in planning for and delivering services. For some months, I have been organizing my head to write about collaboration with families and communities, and “Nothing about us, without us” sings to me. |
| 7/16/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - July 15, 2012 (6:30 a.m.) I am a person of the outdoors. My garden and my kayak are the places where I re-center myself, a necessary process when the days (and nights) are filled with children and families who hurt. This is a story of a mocking bird and a gaggle of geese. I find great truths in the ways of each. |
| 6/28/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - June 28, 2012 (4:30 a.m.) Ten days ago, the State of Connecticut launched the First 1000 Days to focus on the earliest minutes, months and days of children's lives. Read more. |
| 6/27/2012 |
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By Cindy M. Conklin, Executive Secretary - June 27, 2012 This past weekend I read an article that made national news, it was a case of unimaginable child abuse and neglect. It involved a ten-year-old little girl and happened in Kansas City, Missouri. Read more. |
| 6/14/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - June 14, 2012 (6 a.m.) I have written twice about this convening on Monday, June 18th and many of you have signed up to attend. There is still time to register and we hope you will. Read more. |
| 6/1/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - May 31, 2012 (3:49 a.m.) Although Memorial weekend has come and gone, I can't get it out of my head. My family spent Sunday of the weekend at the YMCA in Mystic, Connecticut welcoming riders (young and older) at the end of a grueling 135-mile Angel Ride on behalf of children with life threatening illnesses. |
| 5/24/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner and Ken Mysogland, Director of Foster and Adoption Services - May 23, 2012 (2:30 a.m.) It’s very dark at 2:30 in the morning, but I woke up with a phrase in my mind made prominent by the first President George Bush. He talked a lot about “a thousand points of light.” |
| 5/15/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - May 15, 2012 (5 a.m.) This morning finds me on a train for Boston to spend three days as part of the Harvard Center on the Developing Child’s Frontiers of Innovation initiative. |
| 5/04/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner -May 2, 2012 (4 a.m.) The federal Children’s Bureau turned 100 years young recently, and the present administration has been busy sharing core reports with folks around the country working on children’s welfare, broadly construed. |
| 4/23/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - April 23, 2012 (5:00 a.m.) I awoke this morning with the following six words in my mind: What if we really meant it? What if we really wanted all of the children in Connecticut to be healthy, safe and successfully learning? |
| 4/17/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - Tuesday, April 17 (5 a.m.) On June 18, 2012 at the Legislative Office Building (Room 2C), Connecticut’s babies will take center stage at the First 1000 Days convening. It is not a moment too soon. |
| 4/3/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - April 2, 2012 (very late). This might better be called a Midnight Musing! This evening, Dr. Stephen Tracy, Superintendent of Schools in Derby, tendered his resignation to take on the same role within the DCF Unified School District #2 on July 2, 2012. |
| 3/26/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - March 26, 2012 (1:30 a.m.) Over the past year, a long-time colleague of mine from my days in the private sector launched an amazing new online social network for “tweens and teens” called Rocket 21. His name is Mark Grayson. He’s a man who believes in the smartness and creativity of kids, and acts on his beliefs. He is also an amazing media professional. |
| 3/9/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - March 9, 2012 (4:32 a.m.) When my own three boys were young, Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin were a regular part of our lives. Over the past several days, one of the Milne’s poems – Halfway Down – has been rolling around in my head. Having spent some amazing time in recent weeks with staff from this agency’s Central Office, Regional Offices and our institutions, I think I know why. |
| 3/1/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - March 1, 2012 (4 a.m.) - This musing has been rolling around in my head for some days. I live in Branford, which is right next to East Haven. East Haven is the Connecticut town where racial profiling and harassment have been in the news for weeks. |
| 2/19/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - February 19, 2012 (5 a.m.) - I write with a full heart, perhaps even overflowing, for this has been a remarkable time for all of us.
… A time to share a message of renewed affection for those we love (with or without the roses and flowers). For me, the day before Valentine’s Day marked 41 years of marriage with the same man. That’s probably longer than some Musings readers have been alive. |
| 2/8/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - February 8, 2012 (4 a.m.) - Sometimes those of us who have homes forget about people who don't. At any one time, nearly 4,500 people in Connecticut experience homelessness, about 800 of whom are children. Over the course of a year, three times that many people experience homelessness. |
| 2/2/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - February 2, 2012 (Very early). In this time of turmoil in America, I find myself looking back nearly 50 years to 1963. It was a time of coming together and coming apart. |
| 1/24/2012 |
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By Robert Plant, Ph.D., DCF Clinical and Community Support Team and Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - January 23, 2012. This is a story about a boy and trauma. This one ends well and signals how important it is that we pay close attention to trauma in the lives of the children we love and serve. This Musing is also about an exciting opportunity for Connecticut to expand its use of evidence-based trauma treatment. |
| 1/19/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - January 19, 2012 (Yikes, 7 a.m.!!) We have now embarked on Phase II of the DCF Continuum of Care Partnership’s work. You will recall that we introduced you to the Partnership in a November Musings, including its purpose and membership. |
| 1/5/2012 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - January 5, 2012 (Very early). January 5th is an important date for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Exactly one year ago, Supreme Court Justice Joette Katz assumed leadership responsibility for this very large and complex agency that, every day, serves thousands of children in complicated and, often, adverse circumstances. |
| 12/23/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - December 23, 2011 (4:50 a.m.) So, 322 days into this remarkable journey, I bring you a weather report. But it’s not really about sunglasses and umbrellas. Those are “outside weather things.” It’s about the “inside weather things” we don’t talk about enough. |
| 12/06/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner and Terry Nowakowski, DCF Region 6 Administrator - December 6 (Early a.m.) A news article last week talked about American military men and women returning home from the Middle East. It also talked about the role that trauma has and will continue to play in their lives. |
| 11/28/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - November 28, 2011 (6 a.m.) - Change has been the watchword for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families over the past 10 months. We have chronicled much of this through Morning Musings. One of the four key structural transformations involves an expansion of the department's regional service operations. |
| 11/10/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - November 8, 2011 (4 a.m.) -November 8, 2011 (4 a.m.) On Saturday evening, November 5th, a bell rang out at the New Haven Church on the Rock. It rang one time for each of 28 youngsters in the care of the Department of Children and Families for whom an adoptive home has not yet been found. |
| 11/01/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - November 1, 2011 (6 a.m.). Since DCF leadership took office early in 2011 under the administration of Governor Dannel Malloy, we have invited an outside eye on the transformation of the agency. Very early on, Justice Joette Katz established a Commissioner’s Transition Team to review and report on the Department in the early months. |
| 10/17/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - October 16, 2011 (6 a.m.) - In 1987, the leadership of the Connecticut Department of Children and Youth wrote a first-ever mission statement and articulated a set of principles to guide the next several years of the agency. |
| 10/07/2011 |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - October 7, 2011 (Early) On Monday, October 3rd, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families released a new report in the Fostering the Future Series. The report is entitled, “We All Need Somebody: Supporting Children, Families and the Workforce in Connecticut’s Family Foster Care System.” |
| 9/30/2011 |
Morning Musings: Back to School…Every Day! |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - “Back to school” means different things to different people, depending on your age, your experiences and your current circumstances. |
| 9/23/2011 |
Windows not Walls |
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By Fernando J. Muńiz, MPA, Chief of Quality and Planning - Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the closing ceremony for the 2010-2011 DCF Mentoring Program. The program pairs DCF social workers and supervisors with a manager for a year-long mentoring experience. It provides opportunities for professional development for both the mentees and the mentors through regular meetings, shadowing opportunities and projects implemented by the mentees. |
| 9/19/2011 |
Morning Musings: Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - Some years ago, I read several books by business leaders and found them very relevant to management in the public sector. One of them sounds like it’s about elephants, but it’s not. |
| 9/07/2011 |
Morning Musings: Janni and the Guppies --A Grandma Story |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - You might think from the title of this morning’s musings that this is a story about baby fish. It’s not. It IS a story about birthdays, grandmothers and the next generation. Though I tried to ignore it, a big birthday snuck up on me a couple of weekends ago. I’m not telling my age, but I will give you a hint that I’ve been besieged with Medicare literature in the mail. |
| 8/31/2011 |
Morning Musings: Writing in the dark and other updates |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - The lights went off in Branford sometime early on Sunday morning, when Irene roared into town. As in other towns in Connecticut, the remnants of her fury remain very present. Houses were damaged, trees over-turned, and huge gouges appeared in the shoreline where the land meets the water. In some places, it is like a huge claw reached up from the water and pulled away the ground. And, pretty much everyone in Branford is still without electricity. |
| 8/23/2011 |
Morning Musings: New Leadership Announced at DCF |
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By Commissioner Justice Joette Katz - For the past six months (and with significant support from the Governor’s Office, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Connecticut General Assembly), the Connecticut Department of Children and Families has been engaged in significant organizational transformation. |
| 8/05/2011 |
Morning Musings: Progress Update and New Report |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - Yesterday marked an important milestone for the new leadership team at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. We began as a team on February 4th, six months ago. Over this period, we have initiated important organizational change within the Department, and we've used Morning Musings to keep you all updated on this work. |
| 8/04/2011 |
Morning Musings: A Tribute to Ralph |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - This tribute was shared with me this week, and it moved me greatly. With permission of the author, Crystal Gayle Astrachan, I share it with you. Crystal recently graduated from Yale University. |
| 7/25/2011 |
Morning Musings: This Past Week |
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By Commissioner Justice Joette Katz - "The ability of our workers to appreciate the complexities of these cases, experience first hand the unfairness of the outcomes and still be able to be a strength to those they serve is a testament to who they are and why I am so very proud of them and this agency." - Commissioner Katz |
| 7/11/2011 |
Morning Musings: Promises to Keep |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - July 11, 2011 (3:30 a.m.)- Some years ago I made a promise to each of my grandchildren that, when they turned 11, we would build an adventure together – just me and each one of them separately. I didn’t really know my own grandparents, so this promise has a special meaning to me. |
| 6/27/2011 |
Service Outcome Workgroup |
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By Elizabeth K. Graham, Deputy Commissioner - Today's Commissioner's Corner will describe a planning initiative associated with the development of meaningful contract outcomes and expanded oversight for programs and services procured by the department.
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| 6/23/2011 |
Morning Musings: Riding Silent Little Little Kids |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - June 23, 2011 (3:00 a.m.) My car radio antenna said, I'm out of here" recently and I have been "riding silent" for the past two weeks.
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| 6/21/2011 |
Morning Musings: This and That - A Progress Update |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - June 21, 2011 (3 a.m.) The pace of change in the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) continues unabated. Here is an update on some of the work now ongoing as we approach the first five months of the “new day” at DCF.
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| 6/20/2011 |
Morning Musings: Fatherhood...Everyday |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - June 19, 2011 (4 a.m.) Fathers come in all shapes and sizes. Mine was tall, wiry and balding for as long as I can remember. He was born in 1916, completed high school and trade school, and was a pretty darn good electrician. He could fix anything.
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| 6/14/2011 |
Strengthening Families from Day One |
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By Fernando Muńiz, MPA, Chief of Quality and Planning - June 14, 2011 - Last Thursday, the Connecticut Post and the Waterbury Republican-American toured the Hotline in an effort to better understand how families come to the attention of the Department.
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| 6/9/2011 |
Morning Musings: Where is your head? |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner. - June 9, 2011 (4:30 a.m.) This week, Libby Graham, Fernando Muniz and I passed a significant time marker – our first 120 days under the leadership of Justice Joette Katz in the “new” Department of Children and Families.
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| 6/6/2011 |
Morning Musings: The Future of Riverview Report Update |
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By Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed., Deputy Commissioner - June 6, 2011 - Last week was significant for the Department of Children and Families as we moved toward the consolidation of our two psychiatric facilities for children and youth.
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| 6/6/2011 |
50 Years Later and The Words Still Ring True |
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By Cindy M. Conklin, Executive Secretary - June 6, 2011 - On Friday morning an amazing thing happened. As I was walking into the garage where my car is being worked on, a gentleman came up to me and said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."
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Content Last Modified on 8/1/2012 2:53:00 PM
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