Hello All,

I just want to bring this amazing program to your attention. I first heard about CT Kid Governor through this listserv and I cannot speak highly enough about it. What better year to learn about civic engagement, the branches of government, and the importance of voting than a Presidential election year? Primary voting for CTKG takes place in October and statewide voting around election day so if you are interested, sign up soon! Please reach out if you have any questions. Since introducing this program to my district in 2018, we have had four cabinet members.

Christina O'Neill

LMES Library/Media Specialist

YOUR 5TH GRADERS CAN VOTE FOR CONNECTICUT’S NEXT KID GOVERNOR!

ENGAGING CIVICS EDUCATION

The FREE Connecticut’s Kid Governor® program immerses students in learning about state government, elections and voting, and civic participation. Our inquiry-driven lessons and resources help classroom educators guide their 5th graders through a real-life election for our state’s Kid Governor!

Kid Governor® gives students the chance to learn important life skills like research, critical thinking, persuasion, public speaking, and more!

Explore our resources

INCREASED AGENCY

Kid Governor® participants discover their ability to participate in civic life. Students who run for Kid Governor identify important community issues they are passionate about and develop three-point platforms that inspire 5th graders to make a difference.

Students who vote in the Statewide Election and support their elected Kid Governor and Cabinet learn the value of their voices and ways to take an active role in shaping their own communities.

AUTHENTIC & IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES

The Kid Governor® Statewide Election is a real election! Participating schools can nominate one 5th grader to run for Kid Governor. After schools run primaries, the top seven candidates advance to the Statewide Election. As adults head to the polls in November, students cast a ballot for the candidate and platform they want to support.

The student with the most votes becomes Kid Governor and spends a one-year term implementing their campaign platform. The six runners-up serve as the Kid Governor’s Cabinet, working with the Kid Governor and advancing their own projects.

Learn more

YEAR-ROUND CIVIC LEARNING

The Statewide Election for Kid Governor is in November, but civic learning never stops! Once elected, the Kid Governor and Cabinet spend their one-year terms working with students and other community members to make progress on their platforms. These student leaders call on their 5th-grade constituents to help them by raising awareness of community issues, participating in poster contests, tuning into educational events, writing to elected officials, and more!

Meet our student leaders

GIVE YOUR STUDENTS A VOICE

IN NOVEMBER’S ELECTION!

Bring Connecticut’s Kid Governor® to your school or district!

Please share this email with your 5th-grade colleagues and encourage them to explore our collection of FREE resources, including:

2024-25 Annual Startup Guide
Toolkits of lesson plans
Digital resources: bitmoji classrooms, Google Forms activities, Google Slides worksheets, ELA activities, PDFs of individual lesson plans, bonus activities, Spanish translations of student worksheets, and more!

CLICK HERE to explore our resources.

Dr. Miguel A. Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education and former Connecticut Commissioner of Education

“My daughter was a finalist in her school for Kid Governor and I remember the passion she came home with, talking about her project. It brought out a sense of pride and agency in my daughter that I hadn’t seen before.”