About Early Learning
We believe EVERY child deserves a head start. With Alliance’s Early Learning program, you can begin your child’s educational success with one of our 10 early learning sites throughout the greater Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Stratford areas. Classrooms provide meals and snacks, educated teachers, and high-quality learning. We have a low-cost sliding scale, offer full and part-day services, and accept children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years old. At Alliance, we serve children with a range of developmental and learning needs in accordance with applicable program requirements. For more information regarding the different early learning sites and how to request an application, please visit the links on this page.
FAQs
What activities in the classroom help promote learning?
Children learn best through play. Learning requires active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work. The activities we plan for children, the way we organize the environment, select toys and materials, plan the daily schedule, and talk with children, are all designed to accomplish the goals of our curriculum and give your child a successful start in school. The most important goal of our early childhood curriculum is to help children become enthusiastic learners. This means encouraging children to be active and creative explorers who are not afraid to try out their ideas and to think their own thoughts. Our goal is to help children become independent, self-confident, inquisitive learners. We’re teaching them how to learn, not just in our programs, but all through their lives. We’re allowing them to learn at their own pace and in the ways that are best for them.
What does a typical classrooms look like?
Answer: The classrooms incorporate the families and children served by the program as reflected in the variety of books, music, languages, toys, photos and other materials.
How can I become involved?
Family engagement is essential to the success of our program and we welcome families as a valued partner. Parents are encouraged to attend monthly Parent Committee meetings, interact with their child’s teachers, be elected to serve on Policy Council as a representative of their center, participate in home visits, parent workshops, and parent activities. Parents are encouraged to volunteer, and there are many ways to be involved, such as completing activities at home that support the home/school connection.
What is the weekly fee?
Families enrolled in one of our fee-paying programs pay a fee based on the Office of Early Childhood Family Fee schedule. The fee is determined based on the family’s gross income and family size. The fee is calculated per child, however, ELD has a policy in place that allows a discount based on the number of children enrolled in the program. Families are strongly encouraged to apply for Care 4 Kids to help subsidize the cost of care.
Does it matter if my child does not want to attend every day?
Yes! It is important for children to attend school every day and build good habits. Regular attendance helps prepare children for Kindergarten which enhances their ability to make friends, follow routines, and learn valuable skills. Research shows that children who miss too many days of preschool have weaker literacy and numeracy skills.