Early Learning Center

What makes the ELC special?

  • Innovative

    The Early Learning Center is the only early childhood education center model of this type in this part of the country.

  • Quality

    All lead teachers are required to have a four-year degree to implement customized, high-quality education plans.

  • Supportive

    Ongoing case management services provide family members with resources to achieve their goals, increase self-sufficiency.

  • Therapeutic

    On-site Clinical Director focuses on meeting the social and emotional needs of the children and their families.

Children Playing Together, Early Childhood Education, YWCA Greater Cleveland
Smiling Girl, Early Childhood Education, YWCA Greater Cleveland
Smiling Child, Early Childhood Education, YWCA Greater Cleveland

About the ELC

When you visit the Early Learning Center, you will sense right away that this is a happy place – not only for the children, but also for the teaching faculty. Everyone on staff is doing what they love most – working with children and families to establish a solid educational foundation. For more than 100 years, the YWCA has been providing high-quality early childhood education for children ages three to five years while empowering mothers and fathers to pursue their career and educational goals.

YWCA incorporates a therapeutic approach and two-generational model into its Early Learning Center model to best serve children age 3 to 5. This innovative model will assess and identify the social-emotional needs of the children, work with families to create case plans, achieve goals, prevent re-occurrence of homelessness, and empower families to achieve and maintain the highest level of self-sufficiency.

The Early Learning Center offers a unique child care setting for families who live and work throughout Greater Cleveland. Experienced educators teach a child-centered curriculum, and children learn to celebrate differences from a young age. ELC parents stay engaged and up to date through various communication channels, family events, support groups, and parent action teams.

See the impact.

Take a look inside the Early Learning Center and see the impact of our unique approach.

Take a virtual tour of the ELC!

Thank you to NRP Group for serving as the general contractor for our outdoor classroom. The outdoor classroom is a therapeutic learning space that includes art stations, a sandbox, and raised garden beds that segue into a quiet green space.

To enroll your child in the ELC

  1. Call us at 216.881.6878 and ask to speak with LeTasha Parker ext. 208

  2. Fill out an application in person

  3. Participate in orientation

  4. Start!

For more information, contact:
Phyllis Alford
palford@ywcaofcleveland.org
T: 216.881-6878 x209 F: 216.881.4564