Elena Trueworthy to Lead State Head Start Office

Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT) has announced that he has appointed New Britain community activist Elena Trueworthy as to lead the state’s Head Start Collaboration Office.

Gov. Lamont said that, “We have a real opportunity in Connecticut to impact young lives from an early age so that as they grow, they can achieve greater educational opportunities that lead to success through their careers as adults.”

Trueworthy said that she is, “excited at the significant potential to elevate the voice and the role of Head Start as a critical partner in Connecticut’s early childhood system.”

“I look forward to being a part of the Office of Early Childhood leadership team,” Trueworthy said, “and will work to create and strengthen collaboration that benefits all of our young children and their families, particularly those of low-income to ensure that they have the resources to succeed in life now and in the future.”

Lamont’s office said that, “In this role, she will be responsible for helping support implementation of the federal Head Start program, which provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and patient involvement services to low-income children and their families.”

“I am eager to have Elena working in this position,” said Lamont, “she truly has hands-on experience with Head Start and already knows so many of the people in this community who are affiliated with this program.”

The office Trueworthy now leads is a part of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said that, “For nearly 20 years, Elena has worked to support high quality early childhood programs through grant-making, professional development, networking and coaching.”

Trueworthy worked at the Head Start program at the Human Resources Agency of New Britain from 2006 to 2011 as a special services senior manager and community development manager.

Since 2011, Trueworthy has worked at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Lamont’s office said that,

since 2016 she has co-managed a portfolio inclusive of grants that support child health, parent education and leadership, community engagement, family childcare, bilingual career pathways, and program capacity building. Immediately prior to that, from 2011 to 2016 she served as the director of the organization’s Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative, in which she led a 350-member collaborative to improve childcare quality and access by focusing on professional development, innovative pilots, and policy change.

Trueworthy has been an appointed member of the state’s Connecticut Commission on Equity and Opportunity and the Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission.

Trueworthy has been active in the New Britain community, including in the North-Oak Neighborhood Revitalization Zone.