The Community Early Learning Center (CELC) of the Fox Valley hosted its Grand Opening and Open House for the newly renovated facility located at 313 S. State Street, Appleton, on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. Among the guests attending the ribbon cutting ceremony were Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson.
The CELC houses five different not-for-profit and public organizations under one roof to serve children from birth to five years old in the Fox River Valley and beyond: Appleton Area School District’s Birth to Five programs, Even Start Family Literacy, Outagamie County Early Intervention, Project Bridges Day Care, and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Head Start program.
“The Community Early Learning Center is the culmination of many years of dreams and discussions along with an intense year of planning and work by many people including the co-locating partners, supporters, advisors, and work teams,” CELC Board President Jon Stellmacher said. “We celebrate the achievement of these dedicated community members and we rejoice at the prospect of the impact the Center will have on the lives of young children today and in the future, both at the Center and in our region as the partners offer collaborative programs and as the Center pursues outreach and shares research findings.”
Appleton Area School District Superintendent, Lee Allinger, thinks CELC will bring more educational options to the Fox Cities.
“The Fox Cities excels at K-16 education,” Allinger said. “The Community Early Learning Center will bring an even greater focus to high quality educational opportunities during the birth to five years.”
“School readiness has a high return on investment especially for children coming from an environment of poverty, neglect, abuse or poor nutrition,” founder Dr. John Mielke said. “Furthermore, best practices developed through research by Lawrence University and others at the Center, will be shared throughout our community and region so all our children will be ready for school by the age of five.”
Multiple early childhood organizations in the same building will optimize resources for families and educators and create a foundation of success for the children participating in the programs.
“The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is proud to be a partner in this important endeavor to serve young children in the Appleton area,” said Tom Sonnleitner, UW Oshkosh Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. “Our University is committed to the goal of life-long learning. We know that children’s future academic success depends on their early readiness and excitement to learn. The Community Early Learning Center provides the perfect environment to nurture these shared values.”
The $2 million dollar renovation project of the former St. Mary Catholic Central School was completed in early September and will accommodate approximately 275 children and 105 full-time and part-time staff.
“Keeping the building in the education realm was very important to our parish. The community will reap great rewards by having all those programs under one roof,” said Brian Dresang, Business Administrator for St. Mary Parish.
Community Early Learning Center is a multi-agency center that focuses on the families of young children and those serving them so their children will be ready for Kindergarten by age five -especially those families with young children who are at risk due to experiences of poverty or other unhealthy stresses. The Center serves not only those children and families on site, but also the Fox Valley region and beyond through: collaborative programming; outreach to local and regional educational and family resources; various program initiatives; and the dissemination of information. For more information contact Jon Stellmacher (920) 733-5527.
Appleton Area School District (AASD) 3-5 year Old Developmental Screening – The AASD encourages all families with children 3, 4 and 5 years old to participate in a developmental screening. Considered a child’s “other check-up,” screening considers all areas of development and can provide families with reassurance a child is on the right developmental track or can identify supports which might benefit the child. For more information contact Kimberly Quinn (920) 997-1399, ext. 2914.
AASD Appleton Community 4K – AASD four year old kindergarten (4K) is a community based early learning experience for children who are 4 on or before September 1st each school year. Through a community collaboration that includes local preschools, child cares, and private schools, universal 4K provides AASD 4 year olds the opportunity to participate in quality learning environments with a WI DPI licensed teacher. All Appleton Community 4K classrooms follow the same curriculum developed from the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards. The Appleton Community 4K Office is located at the Community Early Learning Center. For more information contact Suzette Preston, Director, (920) 832-1742.
AASD Birth—Five Outreach Program – The Birth-Five Outreach Program connects families with school and community supports through welcome visits, parent/child playgroups and activities…and more. For more information contact Amy Wilson, Birth—Five Coordinator, (920) 832-6470.
AASD Diagnostic Center – The AASD Early Childhood Diagnostic Center assists families through the referral and evaluation process to determine if a child demonstrates special education needs. The evaluation is child-centered, play-based and includes the family as team members. If a special education need is determined, the team develops an educational plan to meet the child’s needs. For more information contact Melissa Toshner, Special Education Coordinator (920) 832-6214.
Even Start Family Literacy – Appleton Even Start Family Literacy is a comprehensive, integrated program addressing the educational needs of families with children between birth to age five. Adults learn to speak, read, and write English or acquire a GED in a supportive environment, while children engage with trained early childhood educators in a preschool setting. Families must live within the Appleton Area School District, have a child under age 5, and complete a screening form to determine income and literacy eligibility. For more information contact Donna Hodges, Coordinator, (920) 832-6321
Head Start – The Head Start program serves over 600 children in Calumet, Outagamie, Shawano and Winnebago Counties. At the CELC, Head Start serves almost 200 children. Head Start’s early childhood and family development program focuses on school readiness with an emphasis on the total child and provides opportunities supporting cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. The high quality, 5 star program provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition and parent support and engagement opportunities to eligible children and their families. Children served are ages 3-5 and program options include 3 1/2 hour classroom, extended day classroom, and home visitation, as well as 4-year old Kindergarten classes in collaboration with AASD Appleton Community 4K. Head Start can enroll up to 10% of children from families who are not income eligible and welcomes children with special needs. For more information contact Jenny Thorn, Early Childhood Coordinator, (920)858-6628
Outagamie County Early Intervention (Birth to Three Program) – The Early Intervention Program provides home-based, family-centered services to children under the age of three who are demonstrating delays in their development, and who live in Outagamie County. The program’s mission is to help children develop the skills they need to participate in typical activities in their homes and communities, with a focus on supporting parents in promoting their children’s development. The program offers screening, evaluation and assessment, early childhood special education, speech, physical, and occupational therapy, resource and referral, and service coordination. For more information contact Wendy Hein, Program Director, (920)740-9536
Project Bridges – Day Care Center & Preschool – A nationally accredited, five-star center serving over 100 families with children ages six weeks to six years of age. Since 1973 we have been dedicated to providing high quality child care for children of diverse needs, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. We offer a variety of early care options and supports for families, including tuition assistance for low-income parents, scholarships for dual language learners, and inclusive classrooms for children with special needs. We are also an AASD Community 4K Partner Site and UW-Oshkosh Head Start Collaboration Center, offering comprehensive programming to eligible children with optional wrap-around child care. Enrollment applications are accepted year round. For more information contact Nicole Desten, Director, (920) 739-3840, or, ndesten@projectbridgesdatcare.com