About Us

Our Mission Statement

Plainville Early Learning Center, a state funded program, provides affordable year round high-quality early care and education for children twelve months through twelve years of age in a safe and nurturing environment where staff encourage the social-emotional, physical, cognitive and language development of the children.

Vision Statement

Plainville Early Learning Center is a child’s home away from home.  In our care, children will build self-esteem and engage in healthy activities in all developmental areas as they become successful learners.  Families and teachers will work together to nurture and inspire children’s development, to expand their ideas and to reach their goals. When cared for with love, all members of the PELC family will truly blossom and grow together.

Philosophy

Our purpose is to provide a non-discriminatory childcare program to assist in the healthy physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of toddlers, preschool, and school-age children. The Plainville Early Learning Center adheres to the philosophy that children should be exposed to a variety of cultural, social, and educational experiences  as well as physical activities designed to promote growth in all areas of development. An essential goal of the center is to provide an atmosphere where children can feel happy and secure. In the toddler, preschool, and school-age programs, grouping children in mixed age groups enables them to socialize and choose activities at their own developmental level.  All programs are designed to provide developmentally appropriate activities and experiences to each child throughout their time spent at the program daily.

History and Organization

The Plainville Early Learning Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation which was established by a group of town residents in 1969 to provide quality childcare for families in the community.  The center opened in September of 1970.
  
A Board of Directors consisting of community members and parent representatives oversee the operation of the center.  Board meetings are held at the main location at 6:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.

The Board delegates daily operations of the program to a full time Executive Director. The Executive Director hires appropriate full and part time staff to operate the center. The Plainville Early Learning Center, Inc. adheres to state and federal labor regulations.

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood licenses the toddler program to serve up to 16 children ages 12 months – 3 years, the preschool and school readiness programs to serve up to 38 children at a time between the ages of 3 and 5, and an after school program to serve up to 20 children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The state licensure assures the center has met state and local regulations concerning staff qualifications, education programming, the amount of play space per child, fire prevention, health and safety measures, and building codes.

The program is financed by parent fees which can be set on a sliding scale for families that meet the state criteria (16 toddler slots, 18 preschool slots, and 9 school age slots) according to family size and income, funding from the State of Connecticut Child Daycare Grant,  the Town of Plainville, the United Way of West Central Connecticut and a School Readiness Grant. These funds are supplemented through fundraising and donations from individuals, community foundations, civic groups and businesses.
  
In January of 2022 the program was once again nationally recognized by NAEYC (National Association of Education of Young Children) and has been awarded and recognized as a center of excellence.