Focusing on Educating, Enriching, and Empowering Hartford’s Youth
ConnectiKids Inc. is a nonprofit positive youth development organization that focuses on educating, enriching, and empowering Hartford’s youth. We work directly with two elementary schools, West Middle Community School and Dr. James H. Naylor School, with students in kindergarten to fifth grade. We partner with The Village for Children and Families at two middle schools, Martin Luther Jr. Middle School and Alfred E. Burr Middle School, to serve students in sixth to eighth grade. We provide one-on-one or small group tutoring, mentoring, arts, book club, and enrichment throughout the academic year and summer program during summer break. With these programs, we expose our students to new people, places, and experiences that aid in positive growth and development.
Our Mission
ConnectiKids connects students facing systemic inequities and other barriers with people, places and experiences that level the playing field and inspire academic achievement, positive life choices, and big dreams.
We fulfill this youth-empowering, equity-advancing mission in partnership with schools, families, and the community. We provide one-on-one academic tutoring, individualized mentoring, arts and enrichment programs, and community-based learning experiences during the academic year and summer. These connections and opportunities motivate historically underserved kids to embrace elevated expectations, overcome adversity, and reach their full potential.
45
years of non-profit service
400+
children helped yearly
K-12
grade students welcome
Our History
ConnectiKids began in 1978 when volunteers from the Asylum Hill Congregational Church initially got together to provide a positive summer experience for third grade students at West Middle School a public elementary school in the neighborhood. The group formed what was to be known for the next twenty years as the West Middle School Committee. Upon completing their first summer, the volunteers quickly realized there was a greater need for assistance; with help from corporations located on “The Hill” they decided to have occasional after-school tutoring sessions for those students.
The name of the organization was changed to ConnectiKids in October of 1999 to better reflect the program’s wide-ranging impact and the connections it makes among children and adults from many walks of life.
ConnectiKids has been in service since 1978 and works with over 400+ children from the Hartford area through both year-round and summer programs.
Our Dedicated Staff
- E. Andrea Williams, Executive Director
- Kaleitha Brown, Development Director
- Ashley Dwyer, Development Coordinator
- Kiera Steele, Program Director
- Vicmarie Delgado, Program Coordinator
Board of Directors
- Shay Lewis, Board Chair
Assistant Principal, Academy of Aerospace and Engineering Elementary School - Barrow Shurn, Vice Chair
Associate Director Engineering, Pratt & Whitney (Division of Raytheon Technologies) - H. Scott Williams, Secretary
Senior Counsel, Hartford Financial Services Group (Law Department I Coverage Unit) - Roland Lessard, Treasurer
Greenwich Point Capital - Elizabeth Wilson
Community & Family Engagement Specialist, CREC
- Jeremy Smith
Sr. Product Manager, Honeywell International - Lilibeth Mendoza
Recruiting Coordinator, Web Flow - Kristen Moyer
Vice President of Enterprise Underwriting, Travelers - Mark Olynciw
Education - Ymari Rigby
Process Analysis, Hartford Financial Services Group - Viktoriia Mills
Senior Audit Associate Fiondella, Milone & Lasaracina - Samone Jones-McCarthy
Community Engagement Fellow
Committee Members
- Jane Condron, Committee Member
- Mary Wisenski, Committee Member
- W. Dylan Cushing, Committee Member
- Tifa Talovic, Committee Member
- Christina Yanaros, Committee Member
Community Partners
