CLICC Inc

Mission and Vision - CLICC literacy and mentoring increases communication and strengthens relationships between incarcerated parents and their children. We contribute to deeper connections between parents and children, despite the barriers and effects of incarceration. One in 14 children in the United States have or have had a parent in jail or prison.Three-Prong Method: 1) Develop parenting and communication skills in weekly meetings in prison with trained mentors; 2) Hold weekly meetings in the community with children, one to one, guided by trained and supervised mentors, to help with reading and homework and serve as a supportive person in their lives and; 3) Encourage conversations through mail, phone calls, and visits between parents and children about books the children pick to read.Since 2014, CLICC has served more than 600 parents and 200 children (ages 5-17), and trained approximately 600 mentors. Most mentors are college students in Connecticut in disciplines such as criminal justice, social work, education and psychology. A study by the University of Connecticut (2023) showed that children who met with a CLICC mentor experienced fewer emotional, behavioral, attentional and relationship difficulties during their year with CLICC. Some of the improvements were that children were less likely to fight and also less likely to feel unhappy or depressed.In 2023, the results of a four-year evaluation of childrens experience with CLICC were released. The study by an independent researcher for the University of Connecticut showed that children who met with a CLICC mentor experienced fewer emotional, behavioral, attentional and relationship difficulties during their year with CLICC. Some of the improvements were that children were less likely to fight, and also less likely to feel unhappy or depressed, less likely to have problems staying still, and less likely to want to spend time alone. While the study is not a guarantee that all children in CLICC will have the same experience, it confirms what we at CLICC have known for a long time: Participating in CLICC and meeting with a CLICC mentor can help children with an incarcerated parent or loved one feel better and behave better. * CLICC continued providing intensive support to fathers in three prisons in 2024 through a grant awarded to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families by the federal Department of Justice. The grant brings together providers of the 24/7 Dad curriculum, CLICC literacy and mentoring, and post-release support services in hopes of underpinning families in need and decreasing the recidivism rate for returning fathers. The grant is scheduled to end on Sept. 30, 2025.*The update and expansion of our CLICC literacy curriculum also continued. The original curriculum, developed exclusively for CLICC by Columbia University Teachers College, was designed for use with children ages 7-14 and included a DVD component. CLICC now serves children ages 5 -17 and serves children through strong one-to-one mentoring. Our goal is to expand the literacy activities made available to children to include poetry, rap, music and visual literacy through the arts, as well as to provide more basic literacy activities for child mentors and mentees to do together, and involving the incarcerated parent as closely as possible.*CLICC expanded its literacy program in 2024, to include families with children of pre-reading age (infant to age 4.) Incarcerated parents pick books they would like to read to their young child during phone calls, and video or in-person visits. Copies of the same books are sent home so the child can follow along at home, and also read with their caregiver.* We also continued our practice of providing basic-needs support to participating families during the December holidays. CLICC mitigates pressing challenges:1) Strained, often destructive relationships among families which include an incarcerated parent. Reinforcing the literacy skills of re-entering parents and their children will help to ease their transition, help the family move forward more cohesively, and better equip formerly incarcerated people to enter the workforce.2) Children of the incarcerated can experience a combination of shame, stigma, trauma and toxic shock that, if left unchecked, can thwart healthy development and pose health challenges that last a lifetime. Having an incarcerated parent is one of 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences, as classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Caring adults, such as CLICC mentors, can help.The CLICC model calls for volunteer CLICC parent mentors to meet at the facilities to help parents read books and write letters to their children, while children do similar activities withtheir own mentors at community sites near their homes.The program also includes childrens caregivers, who tend to have complicatedrelationships with incarcerated parents, yet are so important to the future of the children and their families.CLICC matches pairs of mentors and children. Mentors serve on average familiescomposed of about 30 children per year, plus their parents and caregivers, for a total of 90 people per year. Other siblings and family may benefit indirectly from family support CLICC provides. Another 60 parents attend weekly CLICC group in prison but their children are not enrolled. At least 150 people served per year. $179,194.