Education
Electrical Safety School Program
The program is taught to approximately 30,000 fourth-and fifth-grade students in public, private and parochial schools in CL&P's service territory. Teacher consultants, technicians and retired line workers present the program that features:
- The Shocking Truth About Electricity Video
- Discussion about what can happen in an electrical accident
- Electrical safety at school and home
- Indoor and outdoor safety
- Use circuits and damaged materials to show the force of electricity
- Demonstrate the protective clothing and equipment used by line workers
- Q & A with the students
- Refer students to the Electrical Safety Web Site
Teachers are invited to participate in the program each fall and can request a presentation through the online Web site.
PEAC Program
The PEAC program was developed in 2004 with a five-year grant from the Northeast Utilities Foundation to assist students at the R.J.Kinsella School in Hartford. PEAC stands for Parental Involvement, Etiquette Enrichment, Academic Achievement and Character Education. Forty students who were at risk of school failure were selected to participate in the program. The program includes an after-school homework club that is run three afternoons a week by five Kinsella School teachers. Throughout the school day Hartford AmeriCorp members tutor students in various subjects. Employees from Northeast Utilities visit Kinsella once a week to mentor students. Students participate in a character-education and an etiquette-enrichment program during the school year and parents are encouraged to participate in school activities while their child is involved with PEAC. A Parent Outreach Coordinator position is supported by the grant to oversee and organize activities between NU and the school. A 2007 evaluation for PEAC reported that over 80 percent of the students in the program were meeting academic goals.
Enlightening the Mind
The Enlightening the Mind program was established in 2002 with a grant from CL&P to the Hartford Public Library to develop a book discussion program for mothers and daughters. Students and parents from Hartford’s Fox Middle School participated in the initial program.
In 2003, interest grew and young men and their fathers were invited to participate. The program grew from 10 participants in 2002 to 30 participants in 2004. In 2004, the program expanded to the Northend Middle School in Waterbury, CT.
In 2005, the program expanded to include the families of the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT.
In 2008, each program, both Waterbury and Stamford, increased participation with 30 family members taking part in the monthly book discussion.