Key Initiatives

What do you see?

We see opportunity and responsibility. New Haven has a long-standing and urgent need for accessible high-quality early childhood care and education, especially for infants and toddlers. Our vision is to expand our reach to meet this need while helping make New Haven a model for Ideal Learning. Through these key initiatives listed below, we’re working to help more families access the kind of early childhood education that can make a world of difference in a child’s life. 

Expansion

Watch video "Growth spells more opportunity" The  number of infants and toddlers in need of high-quality ECE in New Haven is more than triple the number of available spaces. To make matters worse, these spaces are dramatically unaffordable for many New Haven families and they vary drastically in terms of quality and hours. In response, Friends Center is expanding our infrastructure to serve more children, families, teachers and communities with high-quality early care and education. Specifically, our two-phase expansion plan will consolidate overhead, increase efficiency, expand our preschool capacity by 20 spots, and create an additional 168 infant/toddler spots (for a total of 208 infant/toddler spots representing 16% of New Haven’s infant/toddler capacity).

Teacher Housing Initiative

Watch video "Let's Change the Way We Operate" Despite the proven importance of early childhood education, programs are underfunded and its educators underpaid. In searching for a solution to raise teacher compensation without burdening families with increased tuition, Friends Center developed a unique and collaborative approach to meet one of teachers’ highest expenses — housing. Launched in January 2021, our Teacher Housing Initiative offers eligible teachers free housing as a salaried benefit. As of Fall 2023, we’re providing free housing to 20% (6 teachers) of our 29 teachers, with a goal to scale both this percentage and our staff, to offer housing to 30% (24 teachers) of our expanded 80 teacher workforce by 2027. Learn more about the Teacher Housing Initiative in this special video.

Emotional Well-Being Curriculum

Watch video "Your Voice has a Profound Impact" Ninety percent of a child’s brain develops by age 3. Learning in the earliest years sets the pathway for their future learning and success. Conversely, adverse experiences of the adult world — including employment changes, divorce, racial trauma, eviction or food insecurity — can impact a child’s development emotionally, socially and cognitively. Knowing that early interventions can help mitigate the impact of these experiences and change the direction of a child’s life, in 2012, we established a dedicated Emotional Well-Being Program to strengthen children, families and educators in whatever challenges they face. In order to support more families, we’re working on an Emotional Well-Being Curriculum Guide to share our methodology as a model for programs across the nation.

Teacher Leadership Program

Watch video "Developing Leaders" In addition to systemically low wages, early childhood educators are often expected to shoulder the cost — in both time and money —  of their training and professional development. Furthermore, career advancement in early childhood education is stratified by race and socio-economic status. In response, Friends Center created a Teacher Leadership Program. This paid professional learning opportunity  helps existing and new Friends Center educators strengthen their teaching practices, nurture their individual leadership abilities, and advance on their career pathways.

Food Equity Delivered (FED) Program

Watch Video "It Serves Two Purposes" Watch video "Providing Healthy Meals" Defined as a lack of consistent access to affordable, nutritious food, food insecurity affects 14% of Connecticut residents. The New Haven rate is 22%,  twice the national average. Knowing that food insecurity does not impact all children equally and recognizing that it directly contributes to an opportunity gap and racial disparities in outcomes, in 2016, Friends Center began a partnership with Food Rescue US to provide families with weekly access to nutritious food. Taking our commitment to food security further, Friends Center’s planned expansions include creating the Food Equity Delivered (FED) Program that will supply daily food for all children and staff, creating equity for nourishment and enjoyment around the snack and lunch table, and even extending to home tables for families and employees with additional food needs.

Literacy and Traveling Library

Watch video "Literacy is the Gateway" Early childhood professionals have long recognized the importance of language and literacy in preparing children to succeed in school. Reading books aloud is an integral part of our curriculum and our classrooms include reading areas and free family book baskets. Friends Center also served as a partner in the creation and distribution plan of Book Bundles, an initiative that delivered  age-appropriate, diverse and culturally relevant books to over 355 early childhood classrooms throughout New Haven. Looking ahead, we are working to create a mobile library that can bring the enjoyment and benefits of books to our families and communities.