The Stamford School Readiness Program was established to provide three and four year olds at all economic levels with full-day, school day or part-day early care and education programs. Preschool develops children's social, emotional and cognitive skills. Children who have had a high-quality preschool experience in a private or public program tend to outscore their kindergarten classmates who have had little or no such experience. These gains are often maintained throughout their academic careers.
The City of Stamford and the Stamford Public Schools partner to provide the state-funded School Readiness Program. School Readiness legislation mandates that a School Readiness Council be convened to ensure compliance with the grant policies, to oversee program implementation and to make recommendations to the Mayor and the Superintendent of Schools on issues relating to early childhood. The Council membership includes the Mayor and the Superintendent of Schools, their designees, representatives from Head Start, United Way, Family Resource Centers, Stamford Hospital, Ferguson Library, home daycare providers, parents, and private child care providers.
The School Readiness Council solicits grant proposals and selects high-quality preschool providers charged with implementing the School Readiness Program. School Readiness providers offer the following program options:
Full day (7:30 AM to 5:30 PM)
Part day (8:30 - 11:15 AM and 12:30 - 3:15 PM)
School day (8:00 AM - 2:00 PM.)
Extended day wraparound services for Head Start children
Childcare Learning Centers (CLC) operates the Full Day, Part Day and Extended Day School Readiness programs and Sacred Heart School operates the School Day/School Year School Readiness program. Both CLC and Sacred Heart work in partnership with the City of Stamford and the Stamford Public Schools to provide preschool for 566 three and four year old children.
Childcare Learning Centers' School Readiness full day, part day and extended day programs are operated at various locations in the city:
Sacred Heart School (1 Schuyler Avenue) serves 21 school day/school year School Readiness children.
Our School Readiness programs provide a range of comprehensive services for families, including:
- Health services, including vision, hearing and dental screenings, and a fully staffed nursing program
- Special needs services
- Breakfast, lunch and snacks as part of a complete nutrition education program
- Parent involvement activities and learning sessions
- Comprehensive family service referrals
- Sliding fee scale
The Stamford School Readiness Program provides a high-quality preschool experience to a significant number of Stamford's three and four year old children.