N. Stonington Rep Named' 2015 Children's Champion'

State Representative Diana Urban (D-Stonington, North Stonington) was named a 2015 Children’s Champion by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance. Every year, the Alliance recognizes legislators who worked closely with early childhood advocates to shape legislation that impacts the well-being of Connecticut’s young children in the areas of healthy development, early care and education, nutrition and safety.

“I want to thank the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance for recognizing me as a 2015 Children’s Champion and I would also like to thank them for the tireless work they do on behalf of Connecticut’s children,” said Rep. Urban in a prepared statement. “The Children’s Committee is incredibly grateful for their advocacy. I love the work we do on the Children’s Committee. I often say that we need to take seriously the notion that our children are our future because it is true. We need to stand up for our children and I look forward to another year of doing this important and gratifying work.”

As the House Chair of the Children’s Committee, Rep. Urban championed legislation in the 2015 session aimed at reducing the number of concussions in youth sports by requiring coaches to make information regarding concussions available to every child participant and his or her parent or guardian. She also worked to protect children from harsh chemicals by supporting a call to ban toxic flame retardants in children’s products and to ban the use of harmful pesticides on municipal playgrounds.

“Representative Urban is a passionate and tireless advocate for Connecticut’s children,” said CT Early Childhood Alliance Executive Director Merrill Gay. “As the co-chair of the Committee on Children, she has maintained an unwavering focus on child well-being. She’s a true children’s champion.”

Rep. Urban also spearheaded the passage of the ‘restraint and seclusion bill’ which seeks to reduce the use of physical restraint or seclusion in schools and to train teachers on the use of restraint, seclusion, and other de-escalation techniques. She has been a champion for the use of therapy animals for children that are victims of trauma. Her support of this therapy grew out of learning about the healing power of animals used in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Representative Urban serves Stonington and North Stonington’s 43rd Assembly District, and is the House Chair of the legislature’s Children’s Committee.