Rep. Rosa DeLauro Joins Early Education Community to Introduce Forthcoming Early Care and Education Center at Dixwell; Site Will Pilot Bold Model Integrating Early Childhood and Economic Development

Rep. Rosa DeLauro joined Friends Center for Children, ConnCORP, and community members for a preview of the forthcoming early childhood education center at First Haven in Dixwell, where Friends Center will open its fourth New Haven location in the coming months.

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Teacher Housing Initiative Honored with Sunspot Innovation Award

Friends Center for Children is honored to receive the Sunspot Innovation Award from the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. This recognition highlights the impact of our Teacher Housing Initiative, which provides free, stable housing for early childhood educators and their families—a bold step toward strengthening the workforce that supports New Haven’s youngest learners. We’re grateful to be celebrated alongside so many nonprofits dedicated to building a more equitable and vibrant community, and we remain inspired every day by the educators whose dedication makes this work possible.

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What Inspires You?

Inspiration often comes in the simplest and most surprising ways. Young children exemplify this in their wonder and curiosity: studying a parade of ants on the sidewalk or imagining cloud worlds in the sky; playing peek-a-boo, singing songs, chasing bubbles, collecting acorns, or making mazes in the sand. At Friends Center, our child-led curriculum encourages children to pursue their inspirations, allowing them to learn and develop through their play and through their interactions with the world and each other.

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