Beth Bye

Legislator
General Assembly
Hartford, CT

Current Term End: 11/4/2010

Term limits? No 

Public Service:
Beth was first elected in 2006 as a State Representative to serve the 19th Assembly District of Avon, Farmington, and West Hartford.  She serves as vice chair of the Aging Committee and also serves as a member of the Environment and Public Health Committees.  Prior to that, she served as the Vice Chairman of the West Hartford Board of Education, beginning in 2001.  Under her tenure the Board of Education made programmatic and facility improvements to the public schools, including the addition of a new magnet middle school built on time and under budget.

Education:
Beth attended the University of New Hampshire where she received both her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Child Development, specializing in child care research. 

Professional:
Beth has been widely recognized as one of the state’s leading authorities on early childhood education.  She currently works as the Director of Early Childhood Education for the Capital Region Education Council (CREC).  Prior to working at CREC she was the Director of the St. Joseph College School for Young Children.  Under her direction the School for Young Children was named the state’s model preschool by the Department of Education. Beth was also Director of Trinity College’s Child Center.  For the past 6 years Beth has conducted research about language development in preschool children and was published in 2007 in Early Childhood Research Quarterly.  
She has been an adjunct professor in Education and Child Development at Trinity College and Saint Joseph College.

Community Involvement:
Beth has coached soccer, softball and basketball in West Hartford since 2000. She serves on the Discovery Committee, the School Readiness Council, The Universalist Church Capitol Campaign Committee and the Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative Steering Committee.

Awards:

• The National Council of Jewish Women presented Beth with the Women Who Dare Award in 2002.

• Beth was named one of Connecticut Magazine’s 30 Young People of Influence in 2001. 

• The Connecticut Association for the Education of Young Children awarded Beth the Outstanding Service Award in 2000 for her advocacy and organizing work on School Readiness Legislation.

• At University of New Hampshire Beth received the Outstanding Psychology Major Award and was a nominee for the university’s Woman Athlete of the Year in 1982.

Personal:
Beth has lived in West Hartford for twelve years. Beth and her partner Tracey live on Outlook Avenue.  She has two daughters, Brittany (age 16) and Caroline (age 13) and two step sons, Peter (19) and Adam (15).  She grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and has five sisters and one brother and 24 nieces and nephews.  She and her family enjoy tennis, skiing, the beach, the outdoors and entertaining friends and family.