According to the American Pediatrics Association, over 90% of a child’s brain develops before the age of five. That is why it is critical that as parents and caregivers we invest in the best care and early childhood education for our youngest minds.
Quality child care is a basic need for working families. We know securing quality and affordable child care is a daunting task, consuming a significant percentage of your family’s total income and often forcing you to base your child care decisions on availability and affordability, rather than on quality, safety, and consistency.
So, what should you look for when selecting quality, safe, and consistent child care?
Colorado Shines is the state’s quality rating and improvement system which rates Colorado’s child care programs. Additionally, Colorado Shines has put together a list for parents of what to look for when considering center-based early education and care for their child.
Here are some highlights:
- Is the program licensed by the State of Colorado?
- What is the teacher-to-child ratio?
- What are the hours? Are the hours flexible?
- What training has the director and teachers completed?
- How can families participate in the program?
- What rating are they in Colorado Shines?
The entire checklist prepared by Colorado Shines can be found here.
Early Connections Learning Centers for Early Childhood Education
Serving Families with Safe and Nurturing Early Childhood Education for well over a century, Early Connections Learning Centers (Early Connections) was founded in 1897 to care for young children from working families. Today, we serve a sixth generation of Colorado Springs’ working families at our multiple year-round centers. We are proud to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), an accreditation that less than 10% of all childcare centers in the United States hold.
Early Connections provides the care you need!
- Our accreditation equates to a level 4 (on a 1 to 5 scale) on Colorado Shines. Only 11% of all childcare centers are rated a level 4 or 5.
- Teacher to student ratio is lower than the state requirement
- We are open 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to provide flexible care for working families
- We have a highly educated, trained, and committed staff.
- We provide family engagement through encouraged classroom visits, family nights, conferences, and more!
- We offer school and life readiness through our literacy-based curriculum, which allows and encourages children to actively engage, explore, and experiment in all the major domains.
- We have a team of Behavioral Health Specialists to ensure the social and emotional well-being of your children.
We work with you to make care affordable!
- Early Connections Learning Centers is a certified provider of the Universal Preschool Program! The Universal Preschool Program ensures all children who are at least 4 years old or start Kindergarten in a year receive up to 15 hours a week of free preschool!
- We partner with CPCD…Giving Children a Head Start
- We partner with the Colorado Preschool Program
- If you don’t qualify for any of these programs, we have a sliding scale fee and can work with any family to make care affordable!
To learn more about Early Connections visit our website at earlyconnections.org or contact our enrollment team at 719-632-1754 or [email protected]
