Press
HOUSTON (January 31, 2017) – Collaborative for Children has selected four child care centers in Greater Northside to participate in its College Bound from Birth quality improvement program. Following an application, review and selection process the four centers are Bright Stars Academy, Freedom Academy Day Care, MD Anderson YMCA Early Childhood Development Center and Wesley Community Center.
College Bound from Birth is an intensive three-year quality improvement program that provides professional development, scholarships, mentoring services, curriculum, and classroom materials and equipment for child care centers within selected neighborhoods. Greater Northside is the fourth neighborhood selected by Collaborative for Children to implement its College Bound from Birth program, which began in 2008 in Sunnyside / South Park and later expanded to child care centers in Aldine and Third Ward.
“We are excited to introduce our College Bound from Birth efforts to the Greater Northside community,” said Carol Shattuck, president and CEO of Collaborative for Children. “Research shows that high-quality early learning opportunities enhance brain development in a child’s earliest years and can set him or her on a path to success in school,” she said. “College Bound from Birth is one of multiple strategies we implement to achieve our mission of high-quality learning for all children in Greater Houston.”
The directors of the selected child care centers began their professional development this month with the first of many Directors’ Institute sessions, through which they will build their leadership skills and capacity in center management while learning and sharing best practices. Other elements of the program will include training, mentoring and coaching for classroom educators, curriculum training and improvements to classroom environments.
For nearly 30 years, Collaborative for Children has been dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education and care for children in Greater Houston through those who are most influential in their lives. Collaborative for Children connects families to early learning opportunities, builds highly-skilled early childhood educators to improve outcomes for children, and advocates for birth-to-five policies that narrow the early achievement gap
