by Lisa Reisman
The scene at First Haven in Dixwell on Tuesday morning. Credit: Lisa Reisman photo
It’s the difference between preparing children and needing to repair adults.
That’s how founding president and CEO of ConnCORP Erik Clemons referred to the work of Allyx Schiavone and her team at Friends Center for Children, the innovative early education provider with its year-round, full-time child-centered learning experience and its free teaching housing initiative and emotional well-being program.
The occasion was a Tuesday morning sneak preview of the Friends Center’s fourth site. It’s currently under construction as part of ConnCORP’s multi-use development, First Haven in Dixwell near Dixwell Avenue and Webster Street. The pioneering aim of Schiavone and Clemons: a model that enhances both early childhood education and economic development.
“Allyx and her team make sure that everyone is seen and heard, and that is one of the most powerful things you can do, especially for children who come from marginalized communities where most often they are not seen and they better not be heard,” Clemons said to the sea of 86 festively colored hard hats and fluorescent yellow safety vests. (Both were required for the facility tour that followed the remarks.)
With slots for 68 children and 21 educators at the new location, slated to open in June, the Friends Center will serve 230 children and employ 90 early child care educators across the city, according to a press release.
“First Haven in Dixwell is being built with the unique intention to revive culture, restore community, and sustain generations to come,” said Friends Center Chief Operating Officer Miriam Sutton. In addition to the child care center, the 65,000-square-foot space will offer mental health counseling services from Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center and vocational training in fields like phlebotomy, construction, and culinary arts provided by ConnCAT.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Elena Trueworthy highlighted the economic development afforded by the Friends Center project. “This will allow families to know their children are in a safe and thriving and nurturing environment so they can go to work, or seek higher education, or career development,” she said. “This is an opportunity for development all around.”
She praised the “intentionality” of the center, which has, as extensions of indoor classrooms, outdoor playspaces complete with mud kitchens, outdoor play stations that allow children to engage in pretend and messy play; quiet rooms connecting classrooms for children to rest or find calm; and music and movement studios for self-expression.
“It’s not just about adding new childcare spaces,” Trueworthy said. “These spaces need to be purpose-built and high-quality so that children are receiving those positive experiences, that nurturing environment, the feeling of being safe.”
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, decked out in a purple hardhat, highlighted the larger impact of the Dixwell location. “It will not only expand access to affordable, quality child care, but also serve as a critical component of the neighborhood’s revitalization in partnership with ConnCORP,” she said.
DeLauro, who was instrumental in the realization of the Friends Center’s new campus on Flint Street, lauded Clemons for his far-reaching vision for the Dixwell neighborhood. “The people who have vision and are operational, like Erik and Allyx, they go from A to B to C and they make it happen, and that’s why we’re here,” she said.
After thanking the funders and supporters of Friends Center—including ConnCORP which is renting the space at a reduced rate to afford operations—Schiavone sounded a somber note.
“Without significant public investment, there are still not enough slots for tens of thousands of children. That means all those parents can’t go to work,” she said. As for young children, “90 percent of brain development happens before a child turns five. We’re wasting those foundational years.
She lamented the recent words of President Donald Trump minimizing the significance of child care in comparison to military exigencies.
“This is about whether we are willing to invest in the people who make our communities work,” she said. “When we do that, we are not just supporting human development and families, we are not just creating pathways out of poverty, we are not just strengthening our work force and our economy, we are building the future of this state.”
Exterior of First Haven in Dixwell, with incoming school director at Dixwell location, Desrene Lewis-Williams, (left) and Tanya Lee, school director at Friends Center’s Blake Street location. Photo courtesy of Friends Center for Children.