Parent Education and Support

Parent/Child Activities are Parent Educator led morning programs for parents with their toddlers or preschoolers that involve play and educational toys, art and crafts projects, and snack. Each session  ends with a circle time that includes books and music. During these sessions, parents meet informally with Parent Educators to discuss parenting topics of interest. Pre-registration is not necessary for this program. Click here for the weekly schedule. A donation of $3.00 is suggested for each session.

Baby Time meets weekly and provides an opportunity for parents to share the joys and challenges of baby's first year. Weekly topics important to the first year of life are discussed. Click here for current Baby Time schedule. (Program will resume on September 7, 2010) Pre-registration is not necessary to attend this program. A donation of $3.00 per family is suggested.

Parents as Teachers (PAT) Program is a program for first time families with children birth to age three which provides developmental information and support  through personal visits with a certified Parent Educator. The PAT program is research based and follows the nationally recognized Born to Learn Cirriculum. Click here for more information on the PAT program.

Early Developmental Screenings are available for parents of children birth to age five. These screenings will help parents make sure their child is developing on track. Click here for more information on developmental screenings. 

Parent Consultations with a Parent Educator are available through  the Parent Line program. A phone call to 203-381-6992 will put families in touch with a Parent Educator who has practical tips on parenting or child development issues. A Parent Educator may also provide up to 3 sessions of individual parent education for a family. These services are tailored to meet the needs of the family and are offered free of charge to Stratford families.

Preschool Child Care in Stratford - Click here for a listing of Stratford's early child care and education programs.  Click here for information about a new Head Start Classroom opening in September 2010 at the South End Community Center.

Continuing Education information is available at SPP through a partnership with Stratford Public Schools Continuing Education Department. A Continuing Education Counselor is available on site at SPP to discuss adult education needs, including  Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and American Citizenship. Continuing Education registration is held bi-annually at Stratford Parents' Place.  Click here for the Stratford Board of Education Continuing Education website.

 Support and Training for Providers of Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Institute offers free workshops for Stratford early childhood educators and home child care providers. These workshops focus on improving the standards of early childhood care and  education. Click here for the current listings. 

Family, Friends and Neighbors (FFN) Program provides information and support to Stratford licensed and informal child care providers. This program has several components including Provider/Child activity sessions the first Friday of the month, (Click here for the schedule); 24 Ready to Go Learning Bags filled with books and activites to nurture the development of children birth to age five (Click here for more information about the Ready to Go Bags); workshops for providers and home visits from a Parent Educator.

The FFN Program also includes a bi-lingual literacy program ~Lee Y Seras~ conducted in cooperation with the Stratford Library. The FFN program services are free to Stratford providers. The United Way of Coastal Fairfield County provides the funding for this program.

Resources For Parents and Professionals

Books, magazines and other valuable resource materials on parenting, child development, and child care are available for parents and professionals. An Early Childhood Toy Lending Library with educational toys, books and resource materials is available for home child care providers. Parent Educators will also research requested resources and information.

The following are helpful links for child development information:

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