By Nicolle Houser, Operation Systems Manager

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members” – Coretta Scott King

At Early Learning Academies (ELA), we pride ourselves in creating a connection with the communities we serve to give all children the opportunity to learn and grow to their fullest potential. When you think of community, the first thing that may come to mind is those who are geographically in proximity to us. At ELA, community means so much more.

1. Our Teachers – Our dedicated and caring teachers are the frontline of our childcare community. Without them, none of our vision would be possible. Not only do they create a culture of continuous learning, exploration, and encouragement in the classroom, but they also advocate for the individual needs of the children they care for. ELA loves to promote from within our community and offers teachers many opportunities for growth throughout the company. We believe in creating an environment for the teachers that allows them to grow to their fullest potential, just like they do for the children in their classrooms.
2. Diverse Curriculum – We understand children learn at different paces and in their own style. Because of this, we offer a diverse range of curricula throughout our centers. Our Curriculum Team works endlessly to ensure they are up to date with the learning standards to provide a written curriculum to our centers for all age levels. Teachers can then take the curriculum and add a creative twist to make a bigger impact on the children they serve. On top of our written and teacher driven curriculum, we offer Montessori inspired and Reggio Emilia-based curriculum in several centers in Ohio and Colorado. Several of our centers around the country have early head start and head start programs, too.
3. Our Families – Diversity is welcomed and celebrated in the Early Learning Academies community. We serve families diverse in economic backgrounds, family dynamics, values, and beliefs. We value the partnerships we develop with our families, using their differences to enhance our programs, where everyone feels welcomed. We pride ourselves in our constant communication that we provide for our families to strengthen and maintain healthy, safe relationships.
4. Giving Back – We not only want to build a strong community with the families that we serve, but also with the surrounding areas. We strive to be a safe place that supports and guides the future leaders of our community. Throughout the year, many of our centers host fundraisers to support local charities. In November, our centers host a collection of non-perishables for families in need. In December, many of our centers collect gifts to send to those less fortunate. During the cold winter months, we ask our parents to partake in donating warm clothing.

For a childcare center to be an asset to its community, it must be sensitive to the needs of its neighbors and intentional in how it gives back. These 4 pillars help ensure that our centers strengthen our communities and help raise the next generation of community leaders.