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JOSÉ F. COLÓN-RiVAS IS NOT GIVEN TO SELF-PROMOTION. “I’m an educator, not a politician,” he says. Yes, he is the point man for Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez’s ambitious Office of Young Children, inaugurated in 2005 to help the city’s roughly 18,000 young children thrive and succeed as never before—but as he repeats: “I know politics very well, but it’s not what I’m here for.”
As Executive Director of the Office of Young Children, José’s mission is vast: to better coordinate the efforts of more than 300 public and private programs that serve these children in Hartford. Beyond that, he must lead the way to radical improvements in the quality of their health care, family support, and educational outcomes. With his office expected to eventually coordinate more than $100 million in annual spending, it’s a daunting task, especially given how poor Hartford is and how many jobs have left the city. What man would be willing to take all this on?
As it turns out, a man who is both practical yet inspirational—and has been ever since his childhood, growing up on a farm in the mountain town of Aibonito, Puerto Rico. José’s father was a teacher, so it was natural that José chose that path. After coming to the U.S. to get his PhD, José wound up in Hartford almost by accident, on his way to visit a friend in Massachusetts. That was in 1989, and he’s been here ever since.
As a math teacher at Hartford Public High School, José was celebrated by his students for his kindness and extra attention; many remain in touch with him. Five years later, having been promoted to principal to save Hartford Public from closing, he did exactly that, raising morale among staff and students and winning reaccredidation. “I’ve worked at nine schools in Hartford and this has never happened,” one teacher was quoted in an account of the turnaround. “This is our team. We’re each other’s cheerleaders.”
At the Office of Young Children, the turnaround José is working for these days is not just one school, but an entire city and its young people. He knows the challenge, but he is confident.
“When you stay with a community, you really get to know them, and they really get to know you,” José says. “People sometimes ask me, ‘How come you’ve stayed in Hartford for such a long time?’ And I say, ‘This is where I think I’m making a difference.’"
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