Robin Cooper, Erlanger-Elsmere Board of Education Chair; Laurie Wolfing, Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission; Rebecca Dececco, site director, Elsmere Head Start Center and Rick Hulefeld, founder and executive director of Children Inc, tie ribbons together at the dedication.
Education, business and community leaders gathered Thursday to formally dedicate the Erlanger-Elsmere Early Learning Center and honor the numerous partners that support early learning initiatives at Erlanger-Elsmere Schools.
The first-of-its-kind center is managed collaboratively by Erlanger-Elsmere Schools, Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, and Children, Inc. and is serving as a model for early childhood education throughout the state.
Phyllis Berry, Director of Direct Services at Children Inc. said “This is what happens when you dream big and bring partners together.”
Leaders also celebrated the creation of the Erlanger-Elsmere Early Childhood Collaboration Center, made possible through the generosity of The Northern Kentucky Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. This center serves as a hub for community and early childhood training and community and family engagement.
Erlanger-Elsmere Schools is working collectively with many partners to promote early learning and to meet the needs of all families with young children. It’s collaborating with United Way, childcare centers, Children, Inc., Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission and Head Start, 4C, E3C Partners, Skyward, Northern Kentucky Education Council, the cities of Erlanger and Elsmere, and others, including support from Toyota, to provide a variety of quality programs.
In just one year, Erlanger-Elsmere Schools has:
Doubled the number of children enrolled in pre-school,
Enrolled a record number of students already for Kindergarten this fall,
Filled all slots, with waiting lists, for the summer Me and My School program for incoming Kindergarten students, and
Experienced a significant increase in Kindergarten readiness among enrolled students.
“High-quality early childhood education is a wonderful investment both for the child and the community as a whole,” said Dr. Kathy Burkhardt, Superintendent of Erlanger-Elsmere Schools.
“We invite businesses, civic and church leaders, early education advocates, caregivers, and the public at large to help us advance our early learning initiatives.”
Local stakeholders are invited to a “Cradle to Career” discussion on June 28, where they will learn more about strengthening families and businesses through early learning. The event is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in Dietz Auditorium at Lloyd Memorial High School.
The event is free, but registration is requested. For more information about this event, visit www.erlanger.kyschools.us.
