CTCIP Releases Annual Activities Report

February 24, 2026

Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) released its 2025 annual report, highlighting activities to expand outreach, strengthen partnerships, and create meaningful, hands-on events and opportunities.

“This past year we’ve reinvented our commitment to raising awareness of the impact of parental incarceration on children,” said Irvine Peck’s-Agaya, IMRP operations coordinator who leads the CTCIP team. “We were very intentional about reaching out to people not already part of our network and building new connections.”

Those connections reflect expanded outreach and partnerships with the Connecticut Department of Correction, libraries across the state, and the UConn community. Highlights from the report include:

  • The continued creation and improvement of child-friendly visiting spaces at correctional facilities, including fresh paint, new furniture, books, toys, and child-centered activities designed to foster positive parent-child interaction and reduce stress during visits.
  • Hosting a post-holiday winter celebration at York Correctional Institution for children and their incarcerated mothers, including the gifting of age-appropriate toys and books for more than 30 children ranging from newborns to age 17.
  • The development and distribution of an asynchronous Training for Educators module to help teachers, administrators, and school staff better understand and support students impacted by parental incarceration.
  • Partnering with Connecticut libraries during October’s Parental Incarceration Awareness Month to distribute resources via public displays that reduce stigma and highlight available services.
  • Increasing CTCIP’s presence at the State Capitol, including testimony before the Committee on Children in support of legislation to improve higher education access for youth in foster and kinship care.
  • The release of a Statewide Action Plan in partnership with the Council of State Governments Justice Center and Rutgers University at Camden to outline evidence-based strategies to strengthen family connections, enhance parenting programs, and improve communication between children and incarcerated parents.
  • A UConn Hartford hygiene drive in partnership with The Alliance for Incarcerated Women to provide essential items to women at local correctional institutions.

Looking ahead, Peck’s-Agaya said CTCIP will continue expanding its work through the creation of an advisory board, continued partnerships with Hartford Public Library, and additional opportunities for community engagement.

The CTCIP team and volunteers at the winter celebration event for mothers incarcerated at York CI and their children

“Decisions must be made with the children in mind,” said Peck’s-Agaya. “It’s one thing to look at it from the policy perspective, but talking with people who live it really does put a magnifying glass on issues that aren’t always visible. The collateral impact of incarceration isn’t just the impact of an absent parent, it’s also financial and emotional.”

To better incorporate lived experience into its work, CTCIP will involve scholarship recipients in the planning for Parental Incarceration Awareness Month, providing leadership and professional development opportunities.

“The experiences they’ve had are so unique and challenging – we want to get their voices involved,” Peck’s-Agaya said. “What do they want other kids or the legislature to know? Our work is to ensure services reflect their needs, so their perspective is important in all we do. More importantly, we want them to feel a sense of community.”

Click here to read the full report.