What We Do
Direct Services
Early Connections provides direct service to young children and their families through five early care and education sites. Four of the sites are in the City of Erie and one rural program is delivered in Union City. All sites serve preschool age; infants and toddlers are served at four of the sites. Each of the centers focuses on the delivery of curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and stimulating. Children are assessed on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth using a variety of assessment tools throughout the year. The teachers use these assessments to create lesson plans that focus on the development of the whole person and the interest of the child.
All of the preschool and kindergarten classes that are offered are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. All sites are Keystone STARS participants.
Success By 6™ & Northwest Regional Key
Early Connections is the lead facilitator for the work of Success By 6 in Erie County. Success By 6 is the Early Care and Education Initiative for Erie County. Success By 6 has identified five areas on which to focus because of their significant impact on a child’s ability to learn: education, health care, child abuse and neglect, children’s mental health and special needs/disabilities. Success By 6 has recruited professionals and non-professionals who have an expertise or strong interest in each area. Within each initiative, critical issues are identified and goals set to respond to those issues. Planning is done to most effectively communicate how to make the community as a whole aware of critical issues affecting young children and their families.
Early Connections is also the Regional Planner and provider of Technical Assistance for the Northwest Regional Key, a state supported program created to support 18 counties in northwestern Pennsylvania in their efforts to provide and promote quality early care and education. In both leadership capacities (Success By 6 and the Northwest Key) staff of Early Connections convene collaborative efforts within Erie County and the 18 counties of the NW Key, providing training and coordination of community wide efforts designed to effect positive outcomes for children.