The CHILD Center aims to enhance the quality of life, health, and early learning for young children and families in the SWAG area. SWAG, UF’s Anita Zucker Center for Early Childhood Excellence, and O2B Kids work together to run this childcare and early education effort.
CHILD Center Services
Who the CHILD Center Serves
The Center serves around 50 low-income children ages 0 to 5 in the SWAG area.
What the Center Offers Children
The Center provides high-quality early learning and care. Specifically, this includes the following resources:
- Complete childcare and early learning curriculum
- A safe and healthy learning setting
- Healthy meals
- Early discovery of learning issues
- Creative play and exercise
- And much more!
What the Center offers Caregivers
In addition to services for children, the CHILD Center provides support for caregivers. This includes the following services:
- Safe, quality childcare to caregivers who need to go to work, school, or self-improvement programs
- Direct programs on topics like parenting, safety, and nutrition
- Informal education through support groups, family bonding activities, and volunteering
More About the CHILD Center
A Network of Supports
The Center is part of a network of resources in the SWAG area. The CHILD Center, Family Resource Center, and SW Health Clinic work together to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the well-being of entire families. All of these services are provided at low or no cost.
In addition, the Center uses the expertise of the nationally acclaimed Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. As a result, the Center benefits from the latest knowledge, policy, and practices in this field.
Also, SWAG and its partners have worked closely with the Children’s Trust of Alachua County, Head Start, the Early Learning Coalition, and many other experts in the field. These partners work to ensure that the CHILD Center provides the best opportunities possible for the children enrolled there.
Collaboration Hub
The CHILD Center is a model demonstration center for professional development in early learning. This means that childcare providers from across the county visit the Center to see best practices in action. They learn from UF’s early learning experts how to improve their own models.
We hope to replicate this model elsewhere to improve childcare quality for all Alachua County families. As a result, the Center will create better early learning for children and enable entire families to break free from issues connected with generational poverty.
Communities can be changed when childcare providers, early childhood agencies, and state and national leaders know about evidence-based solutions. For children and their families, it can change their lives.
Rosa Cebrián translated this page into Spanish through the PerMondo project for the free translation of web pages and documents for NGOs and non-profit associations. The project is directed by Mondo Agit.
