Asnuntuck, Town of Enfield Partner on Early-childhood Initiative

ENFIELD, Conn. — The town of Enfield’s Family Resource Center, a division of the Enfield Department of Social Services, has partnered with Asnuntuck Community College’s Early Childhood Education program. In a creative collaborative program, the two partners are providing an educational experience at the Enfield Public Schools’ Stowe Early Learning Center to preschool-aged children who are entering preschool and kindergarten in the fall, and who have had a limited preschool experience due to the pandemic.

The summer program, currently underway, is three weeks long, and there are three classes of 16 children each going to kindergarten and two classes of 10 children each going to preschool. Funding for the program has come from the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and is partially staffed by teaching assistants who are Asnuntuck students or recent graduates.

Administrators from the college and the town of Enfield recently participated in a walk-through tour of the program. Led by Amy Morales, the Family Resource Center coordinator for Enfield who has been coordinating this summer initiative, the group had an opportunity to peek inside the classrooms to see the children in the program.

Participating in the visit were Enfield Assistant Superintendent of Schools Andy Longey, Assistant Town Manager Kasia Purciello, Director of Social Services Cindy Guerreri, Director of Early Childhood Initiatives Jaclyn Valley, Chief Academic Officer Michelle Middleton, and Partnership Coordinator Amy Witbro; as well as Asnuntuck CEO Michelle Coach, interim Dean of Academic Affairs Teresa Foley, and Professor and Career Programs Department Chair Carol LaLiberte.