About Us
The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington is a group of committed educators, parents, grandparents, healthcare and childcare providers, business owners, civic organizations and members of the community who are deeply invested in the growth, development and academic success of young children in Southington. We are guided by feedback collected from the families and partners and from community data. We provide resources and education for families of young children and for early childhood educators .Learn more about our Board of Directors, staff and community partners.
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). Per the OEC, the “LGPs will act as the community’s early childhood hub and focus on building trusted partnerships with families, providers, and the broader community. The LGP will also be a place for families and community members to get involved in shaping a plan for their community’s approach to supporting the holistic needs of families and children birth to five years old.”
Vision Statement: That all children are healthy and prepared to learn.
Mission Statement: Collaborating to ensure Southington’s children are healthy and prepared to learn through advocacy, programs, resources, and support.
Values (In alphabetical order)
- Connector
- Community building
- Helpful
- Inclusive
- Intentionality
- Supportive
- Trustworthy
The ECCS is an unincorporated entity. The ECCS has been financially supported by:
- Our fiscal sponsor, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, a federally recognized 501c3 non-profit organization.
- Main Street Community Foundation and the Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust at the Main Street Community Foundation.
- CT Office of Early Childhood and State of CT through Shine Early Learning, previously via the Connecticut Children’s Collaborative and the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative*.
- The Stocker Foundation
- Petit Family Foundation
- The Calvanese Foundation
- Donations from our Board, local businesses and community members. You can donate here.
* “The project described is supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0071-01-0, from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
ECCS publications do not express the views of the Office of Early Childhood, the State of Connecticut or other funders. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors.
The work of and programs held by the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington are offered to all under our Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy and our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy.
If you would like to support the efforts of the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington, please consider making a donation or volunteering.
The ECCS Director, Joanne Kelleher, was featured in the Greater Southington Business Podcast in July 2019 hosted by Brian Williams of Northshire Consulting. We discussed the history of the organization and how the ECCS can help parents of young children!
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2JljBIQ
iTunes: https://apple.co/2XAjYYE
