The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is home to four distinct components:

Resource Library and Training Center

Here, adult learners—parents, educators and early childhood operators—can study best practices through distance learning, fieldwork and field trips, mentoring, workshops and seminars. Throughout their training experience, they may observe what they just learned at the Demonstration School. They also have access to a library complete with childcare publications—books, magazines, research papers and interactive games, just to name a few.

Business Learning Center

Early childcare providers and members of the business community, including CEOs and human resources directors, rely on our Business Learning Center for information and resources on the importance of early care and education. Through this center, we educate employers on the benefits of providing childcare for their employees, and work with the business community to increase accredited early education centers and the quality of services rendered to the community. It also acts as a modern venue for business meetings and community presentations to make the case for early education.

Research Center

The Research Center is a place for higher education and research institutions to study best practices in early education curricula and environments, providing a platform for researchers and investigators in the early childhood field to share their most recent studies. It’s also where higher education experts explore the possibilities of working together with research institutions to gather data and support on best practices for how young children learn and in what environments.

Demonstration School

It all comes together at the Demonstration School. The 12,495-sq-ft high-tech facility is where approximately 130 children, ages six weeks to five years old, get to put the early education best practices to the test. Children of all races, income levels, cultural and ethnic backgrounds learn in a nurturing environment, with access to the latest technology. Everything here, from curriculum to the décor is designed to stimulate young minds, and it’s all backed by the latest research. The school allows for observation without interrupting the learning process, and acts as a model program for other national and local early education centers.