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Home : Voices eNewsletters : January 2010 eNewsletter : Introducing: Early Care and Learning (ECAL), a Voices’ Public Policy Partner

Introducing: Early Care and Learning (ECAL), a Voices’ Public Policy Partner

ECAL, established in 2007 as a not-for-profit organization, is one of the managing partners of the Franklin County initiative Caring Communities: Birth to Three, and of the Early Care and Learning Fund of The Columbus Foundation.

Along with other community advocates, ECAL was founded by Linda D. Neugebauer (Director Emeritus of Columbus Montessori), who also serves as Project Director.

ECAL worked to initiate the 3 year, collaborative project Caring Communities: Birth to Three, which recently received a lead gift of $100,000 from American Electric Power. The goal of CC:B-3 is to transform and improve the quality of care for children birth to 3 by establishing programs that offer children a consistent, skilled, primary care teacher in a family style, intimate, mixed aged community.

Such continuity is a departure from today's standard practice of moving children from room to room with different teachers and children up to five times in their first three years. Continuity, helpful to all children, is especially important for children and families whose lives are less stable due to poverty, illness, job loss, and frequent moves.

(See more info on CC: B -3 in attachment)