Connie Bellone, COO Early Childhood and Family Learning Foundation
Connie Bellone is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Childhood and Family Learning Foundation. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LSUHSC in New Orleans and her Master of Science in Health Service Administration from the University of St Francis in Joliet Ill. Connie has maintained national certification in critical care nursing for the last 26 years and has served as a child care health consultant for the La. Office of Public Health for over 20 years. With 27 years of experience as a pediatric nurse and over 18 years of experience as a health care executive in both the hospital and multi-disciplinary clinic settings, she is uniquely qualified to assist schools and districts in developing operational and financial systems and processes that meet the needs of the whole child in the school setting.

Opportunity/Challenge

Education and healthcare are rarely brought together when considering the factors holding a child back in school. 48% of 4th graders fail their vision screening. If
left unaddressed, this directly impacts their academic performance. We have an opportunity to effectively educate our children by addressing the psycho-social, behavioral, and physical health factors along with the academic.

Impact

• 26,000 elementary school students provided with quality health screenings for vision, dental, hearing and immunizations.

• Fee-for-service: 5 public school contracts to bill Medicaid for health services; 5 child care centers increase from $5,000 to $25,000 per school in Medicaid reimbursements; 5 child care centers receiving vision screening.
• 1000 teachers have received professional development
• 1500 students received intense mental health case management and therapy services