Women's League Child Development Center

Women's League, Inc. Child Development Center celebrates children. We strive to install a love of learning, enabling children to fulfill their potential and prepare for academically and socially successful life experience. Accredited by the prestigious National Association for the Education of Young Children, we provide the highest quality early childhood education.

Description:
The Women's League was established in 1917 by a group of African American women to assist families, relocating from the South and Europe to the Hartford area for work, by providing quality childcare. The League became the first black organization in Hartford of receive funding from the United Way.
The Women's League, Inc. is a Child Development Center with a heritage and multi-generation legacy of education excellence. Our mission is to foster the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development of the whole child through a creative, healthy appropriate learning environment that is responsive to the emerging needs of family and community.
In 1994 after a major capital fund campaign, the Women's League opened a beautiful new state-of-the-art facility specially designed for its mission. While equipped with everything from a commercial kitchen to a computer lab, we are already looking forward to further expansion to meet the growing need.
Our highly trained and skilled staff are dedicated to developing each child into a healthy, positive and confident individual. Programs, activities and field trips stimulate intellectual development, develop communication skills, promote social adjustment and sound physical growth, and build a child positive self-image as well as refining understanding of self and others. Each family's culture is respected and parent participation is encouraged.

History:
Women's League, Inc. a not-for-profit membership organization which operates the Child Development Center., is the oldest early childhood education facility in the city of Hartford. Its history goes back to 1917, when a group of African-American women in Hartford identified the need for quality childcare for families and single women entering the workforce. Women's League was formed to meet that need, with an approach to early childhood education that was well ahead of its time, eighty-seven years ago, and remains a standard of quality to this day.
The League was first located in a rented room on Wethersfield Avenue. In 1919 a house was purchased on Avon Street and the League moved to the Clay-Arsenal neighborhood. In 1926 the League becomes the first black minority organization to receive funding from the United Way of the capital area. In 1932 recreational activates for school age children and adult education classes helped the league become an even more vital part of a growing community, especially for families hit hard by the great Depression.
In 1953 the League moved to its present site at 1695 Main Street and in 1990 began a capital building Campaign for the new center, opened in 1995 a state of the art facility especially designed for children as a home away from home and considered the jewel of the neighborhood.
From our origins serving a dozen or so children, we now have a staff of over 50 and are licensed to serve up to 212 children ranging from infants, toddlers and preschoolers to kindergartners through 9 year olds in a before/after/vacation/summer program. Women's League, Inc was the first inner city program to become accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood /NAEYC.
Women's League, Inc has, from its inception, expected that families contribute whatever they are able to afford toward the costs and responsibilities of care for their children. Families are an intrinsic part of our program, planning and vision. Our open door policy encourages families to visit and participate. Our events depend upon family support and involvement. We full accept the responsibility of educating families as well as children. Women's League Inc., whose children and families issue from Hartford and surroundings, reflects wide range service demography. At this time, 94 percent of our parents are employed in training or in the school. Eighty two percent of the parents served are young, single, minority group members, many of whom have recently left public assistance and have difficult finding available, affordable child care. We make every effort to continue to be there families and children most in need of our service.

Contact people:

Gail Joslin, (phone), (email) Karen Clancy, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (860) 524-5960

Address:

1695 main street Hartford, CT 06120 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

From I-84 Eastbound: "Take exit 50" at the 1st traffic light turn left onto Trumbull street; go straight to the 2nd traffic light; then left onto main street From I-91 Both Southbound & Northbound: Take "Exit 32-B/Trumbull Street; then go straight to the. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: K-1, K2, 2 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.cttransit.com/

Last updated on October 30, 2009