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Mission, Vision, and Diversity Statement

The Early Childhood Resource Center is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System. The Health System is a beacon of hope devoted to healing and addressing the unmet needs of individuals, families, and communities through a network of innovative services.

The mission of the Early Childhood Resource Center is to promote the healthy development of young children by strengthening families, improving the quality of early learning experiences, increasing school and community readiness, and informing public policy.

Vision: The Early Childhood Resource Center is a leader, recognized for working together with community partners to ensure:

  • Parents have the knowledge and resources to support their children’s healthy development;
  • Children have access to high-quality early learning experiences staffed by educated professionals;
  • Children begin school ready and eager to learn;
  • Schools are ready to receive, educate, engage, and involve all children and families; and
  • Communities and policymakers understand and actively support the development of young children. 

Commitment to Diversity: The Early Childhood Resource Center provides a welcoming atmosphere, inclusive of all people, that honors, respects, and celebrates everyone’s unique perspective. We encourage diversity and the sharing of thoughts and ideas to create a learning environment that is responsive to the needs of all young children and those who educate and care for them.

 

Featured Services

Find Child Care

Find Child Care

Looking for Child Care in Ohio? As your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, we can help you find the child care that best meets your needs.

Find Training

Find Training

Looking for professional development? The Ohio Professional Registry can help you find training to meet your needs.

Sprout Learning Backpacks

Sprout Learning Backpacks

Sprout Early Learning backpacks are perfect for parents, schools, child care centers, preschools, and libraries. Purchase your backpacks today!

FY23 IN REVIEW

11,170 

Educators Trained

689 

Hours of
Professional Development Training Provided

7,693 

Instances of Children and Families Served

7,300 

Coaching Sessions Provided to Child Care Programs

Featured Videos

Blog Articles

The SPARK Recipe for Readiness

The SPARK Recipe for Readiness

What’s different about SPARK? SPARK’s recipe for readiness makes the program highly effective at helping parents and children get ready for school together. SPARK brings together all the elements needed to ensure a child is ready and excited to succeed in kindergarten.Read More
How SPARK Works

How SPARK Works

SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids) is a parent-focused program for families of three- and four-year-old children. SPARK focuses on strengthening the areas that help children succeed in school: math, early literacy, fine and gross motor skills, and social-emotional development. SPAR...
SPARK Lessons: The Heart of the Program

SPARK Lessons: The Heart of the Program

The Intake Process: We start our SPARK journey by learning about the child from the expert: the parent. During the first two SPARK visits, the parent partner asks about the child’s favorite color, favorite books, and family routines, including screen time, reading time, learning time, and family out...
The SPARK Responsive Services Process

The SPARK Responsive Services Process

SPARK lessons help children learn letters and numbers, colors and shapes. The program also helps children develop the social-emotional skills they’ll need for school. But any learning and developmental challenges must also be addressed before a child can be ready for school. That’s where SPARK’s res...
SPARK: Highly Effective at Cultivating School Readiness

SPARK: Highly Effective at Cultivating School Readiness

Because it is grounded in practice-based evidence, SPARK has been designated as a promising practice and included in the Innovation Hub Database of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP).An independent evaluation team from Kent State University evaluates program effectivenes...
SPARK: A Lasting Benefit

SPARK: A Lasting Benefit

Every year since 2005, an independent evaluation team has found that SPARK children significantly outscore their non-participating peers in the same classrooms on Ohio’s assessment of kindergarten readiness. That indicates that SPARK children are starting kindergarten ready to learn. But SPARK...
SPARK: Getting Children on Track for Success

SPARK: Getting Children on Track for Success

Only 40% (or 2 out of 5) of Ohio’s children enter kindergarten ready to learn. The other 60% haven’t developed the fundamental skills they’ll need to succeed. And when a child starts school already behind, there’s very little chance the child will ever catch up. Children who aren’t ready typically ...
Parent Engagement: the Key to SPARK Success

Parent Engagement: the Key to SPARK Success

The research is clear: parent engagement is key to a child’s success.  “Children are more successful in school when their parents are actively involved in their learning and show an interest in their progress.”  Family engagement is also linked with stronger math and reading skills....
Does SPARK Replace Preschool?

Does SPARK Replace Preschool?

Wondering about SPARK versus preschool? Good news: this is not an either/or choice. Choose both! Many children are in preschool several times a week. SPARK lessons are less frequent: the SPARK parent partner visits the family once or twice a month. The programs are complementary; SPARK reinforce...
After SPARK: What's Next?

After SPARK: What's Next?

A smooth transition into the school environment is essential for school readiness. SPARK’s responsive services team helps with the transition into kindergarten by providing information on individual children. Being informed of a child’s needs and progress prepares school personnel to help that...

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Serving Stark, Summit, Medina, Portage, Trumbull and Mahoning Counties.
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