Early-childhood Center

The Hill Early-Childhood Center is an outreach mission of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.

Mission

The Hill Early Childhood Center will deliver an excellent, full-day, year round developmental program that fosters healthy bodies, joyful hearts, curious minds, and engaged families, in an inclusive and innovative Episcopal community.

Goals

• Create access in the 78741 neighborhood to high quality, affordable early care and education
• Demonstrate positive outcomes for children and families from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds
• Model research-based best practices in responsive care giving, sustainable fundraising, and community engagement

Only 13% of children from low income communities are entering Austin schools ready for Kindergarten.*

How many children and what age groups will the center serve?

The Hill Early Childhood Center will open in 2017, and grow to serve around 85 infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. Our sustainable financial model will be based on full-pay tuition as well as a sliding scale of scholarship opportunities. Currently there are fewer than 200 preschool spots servicing a neighborhood with over 4,000 children under the age of five. How does helping infants and toddlers address Kindergarten Readiness? Because 90% of the brain’s development happens before the age of six, it is crucial that early education provides a stimulating, language-rich, and caring environment for every child. Gaps in language skills between low-income children and higher socioeconomic peers are identifiable
as early as age two.

Why is Early Childhood Education, rather than school-age programs or other interventions, such a good investment?

Research shows that children living in underserved communities who attend quality early education programs have better life outcomes: they are more likely to graduate high school and to be employed, and they are less likely to be arrested, on welfare, or have a teen pregnancy.

*From UnitedWayAustin.org