Services provided:

Given the current birth rate, every day there is a baby born into a Southington family. Books and websites can provide general information, but The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington has the local information that families need.

Services include:

• • Holding parent education classes, book clubs, car seat safety checks and professional development opportunities
  • Encouraging on-time kindergarten and pre-K registration and development of readiness skills
  • Tracking local childcare openings to help families find care and reduce calls to programs that are full
  • Attending community events and sharing info via newsletters and social media to educate and inform
  • Maintaining an online resource directory and referring families to the services they need.
  • Advocating at the local, state and federal level around early childhood issues

Recent Accomplishments:

The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington’s recent accomplishments highlight the work they do to support caregivers of young children.

Expanded scope: In 2025, as part of the CT Office of Early Childhood’s vision for Connecticut’s early childhood system and their Early Start CT initiative, the ECCS became a Local Governance Partner (LGP). This expanded the ECCS’s role as the community’s early childhood hub and focused on expanding trusted partnerships with families, providers, and the broader community.

Identifying local needs: After months of work, several meetings, and surveys completed by parents/guardians and early childhood educators, a Local Needs Assessment was completed in June 2026. This identified the top three focus areas for increasing the well-being of young children and their families in our community. A Community Plan based on these focus areas is now under development.

Outreach: In 2025, ECCS staff and board members exhibited at over 40 community events or “office hours” around town where we connected with families. Books, materials to develop fine motor skills, and kits to support the SPARKLER mobile app were distributed at these events, at the Family Resource Center of Southington and via Southington Community Services.

Education: Recent ECCS events have included car seat safety checks, a Pregnancy and Postpartum Mental Health workshop, a parent book club series, a community read of The Anxious Generation book with the Southington Public Library and Southington Public School District, a community cafe on the connection between healthy eating and brain development, an annual kindergarten readiness workshop and a tour of the Read to Grow bookmobile.

Community recognition: In February 2025, the ECCS was presented the Youth Development Award by the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA in recognition of “inspirational work to improve the health and well being of our community.”

How has TANGO impacted your Organization:

The ECCS Executive Director joined TANGO in 2017 and has attended the TANGO Building Bridges conference for the last several years. In addition to learning about a variety of topics and best practices, the conference has been an opportunity to network with our non-profit peers. We met potential business partners who helped guide the organization’s growth and development.

Thank you to TANGO and its business partners for the support of local non-profit organizations.