Presque Isle Downs & Casino-September charity of the month

Image

Way to go, Presque Isle Downs and Casino! Through their charity program, they raised $26,714.21 for Early Connections during the month of September. Thank you so much for your partnership. From left to right: Casey Foust, VP of Employee and Grant Management, Early Connections; Hannah Cowan, VP of Finance, Early Connections; Michelle Harkins, Executive Director, Early Connections; and Gary Hendricks, Vice President and General Manager, Presque Isle Downs & Casino.

Early Connections pre-apprenticeship sponsor designation marks promising future for early childhood education training

People from various Early Childhood Education support programs visited Corry’s ECE classroom this week to deliver new textbooks and supplies to the program.

The conventional path to getting a job is nonexistent. Some people believe education should be four years in a university, while others believe a degree is obsolete or think trade school is a better route for any needed higher education.

At the age of 18 or even 16, it can be a daunting decision to make. What was once very cut and dry is now becoming fluid, though. For Corry Area School District, students in the school’s Career and Technical Education Center’s (CTEC) Early Childhood Education (ECE) classroom are able to gain enough experience to receive certification upon graduation to enter a variety of childcare jobs. 

At CTEC, students are able to take a three-year Pennsylvania Department of Education-approved program of study for early childhood education. From grades 10 to 12, students get hands-on experiences with young children in a laboratory per-school setting.

Read the full article in the Corry Journal

Together we can!

In this time of uncertainty, there’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope – that together we can do extraordinary things. Over the past year and a half, the entire world has been coming together to stand up, help out, give back, and heal. Together.  

Early Connections is participating in GivingTuesday today, the global day of unity and giving. As you know, we have been serving young children and their families since 1895 (formerly the YWCA), and still continue to provide leadership, advocacy, and quality learning to help young children succeed throughout Erie County.

But we can’t do this without you! 

Join the GivingTuesday movement today by donating to Early Connections! Any amount of money, big or small, helps.  All you have to do is click on our donate now button on our website (https://earlyconnectionserie.org ) or simply click on this link to donate:  https://earlyconnectionserie.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/692173/Default.aspx  All donations stay within Erie County at Early Connections.

Not only do we need your support, but we also kindly ask your help to spread the word. Please consider sharing our Facebook post and tell your friends and family why you believe in our work and encourage them to support us too!

We thank you for your consideration. Together we can help our Erie County children prepare for success in school, and life!

Celebrating National Pre-Apprenticeship Day

Tuesday, November 16th, was National Pre-Apprenticeship Day and we are celebrating!
Early Connections is now an official Registered Early Childhood (EC) Pre-Apprenticeship Sponsor by the PA Department of Labor & Industry. The NW Regional EC Apprenticeship Intermediary team is equipped to provide support to high schools and vocational programs offering EC Pre-Apprenticeship Programming in our region. L-R Kim Kuehl, Workforce Coordinator; Jestina Klink, Associate Executive Director; Michelle Harkins, Executive Director; Kim Beers, Intermediary Supervisor.

Kiwanis District Convention

We are grateful for the presentation and panel discussion at the Kiwanis District Convention to address the child care staffing crisis. The presenters from left to right: Kimberly Beers, Early Connections; Chris Marsh, Erie Insurance and Erie Chamber Board Chair: Robin Howell, PennWest Edinboro, Kimberly Early, PennAEYC, and Michael Plazony, MVP Advisory Group and ELIC Commissioner.
We are grateful for the presentation and panel discussion at the Kiwanis District Convention to address the child care staffing crisis. The presenters from left to right: Kimberly Beers, Early Connections; Chris Marsh, Erie Insurance and Erie Chamber Board Chair: Robin Howell, PennWest Edinboro, Kimberly Early, PennAEYC, and Michael Plazony, MVP Advisory Group and ELIC Commissioner.

Early Explorers!

🎉 Our City Center location is happy to announce our new Early Explorers summer program! 🎉

☀️ This program funded graciously by Erie Insurance encourages focus on language, literacy, STEM, and social/emotional skills while enjoying safe and quality learning, all while preparing for kindergarten in the fall! 🧬📖

In addition, the class will complete a Passport listing the summer’s learning based field trips. Contact Carrisa or Daryl at 814-456-4576 today for more information 😊

Funding Assistance for Infant Toddler Care

Early Connections wants to share great news with parents of infants and toddlers! We have funded spots available in some of our centers for qualifying children under age 3, through the Infant Toddler Contracted Slots program. This provides your child with an opportunity for a high-quality child care and early education experience at no cost to you if you meet program requirements. There are several toddler spots available right now at our City Center location! 

Please call the Early Learning Resource Center at 836-5898 and ask for more information about Infant Toddler Contracted Slots, or call City Center directly at 456-4576 – act quickly because available spots will fill soon!