Hartford Region Open Choice Program

📢 Reminder: Advocacy Town Hall Today at 12 PM

The second advocacy town hall meetings is happening today at 12:00 PM — and your voice matters.

This is an opportunity to stay informed, ask questions, and be part of the conversation that impacts our students, families, and communities.

We encourage all Open Choice families, partners, and community members to attend.

👉 Register in advance here: http://www.crec.org/c/choiceth325

Let’s continue to advocate, connect, and move this work forward—together.

Apply now to the Kristina Star Jordan scholarship!
https://www.crec.org/docs/15772/Kristina_Star_Jordan_application_2026.pdf

This scholarship is awarded in honor of the life of Kristina Star Jordan, Director of School Choice at CREC, who was an educational leader promoting racial equity and social justice for systematically marginalized individuals. It is available to graduates of the Hartford Region Open Choice Program in the Class of 2026 accepted to a two- or four-year accredited institution of higher learning.

Apply now to the Mary Carroll-Kennedy Scholarship and Marjorie Little Book Award!
https://www.crec.org/oc-scholarships/mary-carroll-scholarship.pdf

The Mary Carroll-Kennedy Scholarship was launched in 2002 in honor of the founding director’s retirement from the Hartford Region Choice Program. The award is to provide financial assistance to Hartford Region Open Choice students attending a two- or four-year college or university. This year’s award is up to $2,000.

The Marjorie Little Book Award was established to provide financial assistance towards books for the first year of college or university. This year’s award is up to $500.

For 60 years, the Hartford Region Open Choice Program has been bridging communities and opening doors.

From Project Concern to Open Choice, generations of students have walked this path.

Now we’re building something powerful —
🎯 The Road to 100 Alumni.

Our goal is to register 100 alumni by June 1 and strengthen a network that connects, empowers, and uplifts.

If you’re an alum, we invite you to take the next step with us.

🔗 Register here: bit.ly/projectconcernopenchoice

Open Choice = Be Empowered.

Let’s celebrate the legacy by building the future.

Hartford Region Open Choice Program & the CREC Welcome Center was proud to be in community at the Urban League of Greater Hartford’s 2026 Annual Black History Celebration, “A Legacy Revealed: United in Strength.”

As we honor Black history and leadership, we also celebrate 60 years of impact through Project Concern & the Open Choice Program — expanding access, opportunity, and educational equity for students and families across the region.

We invite Project Concern & Open Choice alumni to reconnect and be part of our growing Alumni Network as we continue building on this legacy.

🔗 Click the link: https://bit.ly/ProjectConcernOpenChoice to join.

📚 60 Years. Countless Stories. Continued Impact.

🎓 Calling All Project Concern & Open Choice Alumni!

If you were part of Project Concern or the Open Choice Program, you are part of a powerful legacy — and we want to reconnect with you.

We’re building an Alumni Network to celebrate our shared history, strengthen connections across generations, and create opportunities to give back through mentorship, storytelling, and community engagement.

No matter when you were part of the program — your story matters.

📧 Interested in joining or learning more?
Click the link to fill out our connection form: https://bit.ly/ProjectConcernOpenChoice or
Email us at [email protected]

Help us preserve the legacy and build what’s next — together.

Join RSCO in less than a week at Hartford Public Library-Downtown Library for Take Your Child to the Library Day on Saturday, February 7th from 1-3PM. Complete a scavenger hunt through the Children’s Department and speak with Hartford Region Open Choice Program districts including Avon, Berlin, Canton Public Schools, Cromwell Public Schools, East Granby, East Windsor Public Schools, Farmington, Granby, Newington, Simsbury, South Windsor, Suffield Public Schools, and .

Make sure you attend to:
✅ Ask questions
✅ Find what fits
✅ Get application assistance

To learn more and register, visit https://programs.hplct.org/event/15602112

Take Your Child to the Library Day Scavenger Hunt Join us to celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day with a fun scavenger hunt with prizes! Visit the Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) Open Choice Fair, and explore the Children's Department! . Event starts at February 7, 2026 1:00 PM EST