Friends Center for Children

Friends Center for Children Friends Center for Children is an early childhood education center providing year-round care.

At the Friends Center for Children, children learn through creative play and a wide range of developmentally-appropriate activities. The Friends Center is a non-sectarian organization whose value-based curriculum is guided and enhanced by its foundations in the Quaker principles of community, equality, peace, simplicity and truth. As a cooperative organization, parents and teachers at the Center work together to create a diverse and supportive community.

We’re excited to announce Mindy Gold as a speaker at Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing Na...
09/04/2026

We’re excited to announce Mindy Gold as a speaker at Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing National Convening.

A design strategist, narrative coach, and early childhood advocate, Mindy brings 15 years of experience using human-centered design to tackle complex challenges and create meaningful social impact. As a child care advocate, she’s working to make care more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for families and educators.

Join us for a national conversation about what it takes to make housing more accessible for educators and strengthen the communities they serve.

Learn more and register for the convening here: https://friendscenterforchildren.org/2026-national-housing-convening/

We’re excited to share that CEO Allyx Schiavone will be speaking at the 2026 Inclusive Growth Summit (hosted by The Cent...
09/02/2026

We’re excited to share that CEO Allyx Schiavone will be speaking at the 2026 Inclusive Growth Summit (hosted by The Center For Inclusive Growth) on Tuesday, September 15, as part of Track 1: On-Ramps to Economic Mobility.

Allyx will lead a conversation on “Free Teacher Housing: A Scalable Solution to the Educator & Child Care Crisis,” sharing what we’ve learned at Friends Center for Children about addressing housing, child care, and educator compensation together.

Since launching our Free Teacher Housing initiative in 2020, we’ve seen what can happen when we challenge assumptions about how the early childhood system has to work—and build new solutions instead.

We’re looking forward to learning alongside leaders from across Greater New Haven and asking the question at the heart of this year’s summit: What’s the next step?

📍 Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
🗓️ Tuesday, September 15
⏰ Session at 5:50 PM

Join us for an afternoon of practical conversations, cross-sector connections, and ideas for building a stronger, more inclusive regional economy.

Register here: https://www.ignewhaven.org/inclusive-growth-summit

09/01/2026

Did you know that a 2018 study found that only 13% of children’s books published over the past 24 years include multicultural content? This means a staggering 87% of children’s books published between 1994-2018 failed to represent our diverse population.

This , Friends Center board member Aundrea Tabbs-Smith (Aundrea Tabbs Smith) discusses Little Faces, Big Feelings: What Emotions Look Like by Amy Morrison, published by Little Feminist Press.

This picture book uses photos of over 90 real children to show how emotions look different on every person. Recommended for newborns through early elementary readers, this is a great book to practice identifying and discussing emotions.

What is your mood today? 😃😡🥰😰

We’re excited to announce Representative Corey Paris as a panelist at Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher: Free T...
08/31/2026

We’re excited to announce Representative Corey Paris as a panelist at Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing National Convening.

Representing Stamford’s 145th District and serving as House Chair of the Committee on Children, Rep. Paris brings a uniquely important perspective to this conversation. A former preschool teacher himself, he understands firsthand the essential work early educators do—and the challenges they face.

That experience has informed his leadership in the General Assembly, where he has championed policies supporting children, families, and educators and played an important role in advancing Connecticut’s Early Childhood Education Endowment, a historic investment in the future of early childhood education.

We’re thrilled to have Rep. Paris join this national conversation about housing, educator stability, and what it takes to truly value the people who care for our youngest children.

Learn more and register: https://friendscenterforchildren.org/2026-national-housing-convening/

We’re excited to announce Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton as a speaker at Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher: Free Teach...
08/27/2026

We’re excited to announce Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton as a speaker at Friends Center’s First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing National Convening.

As President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and former President of Elm City Communities, Dr. DuBois-Walton brings decades of leadership at the intersection of housing, education, equity, and community development.

Join us for a national conversation about what it takes to make housing more accessible for educators and strengthen the communities they serve.

Learn more and register for the convening at the link in our bio.

It’s a full house!Interest in the inaugural First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing National Convening has been ...
08/26/2026

It’s a full house!

Interest in the inaugural First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing National Convening has been incredible, and with space quickly running out, now is the time to register.

October 14–16, Friends Center for Children will welcome educators, policymakers, funders, architects, community leaders, and advocates from across the country to New Haven to explore a big question: What if we changed the way we invest in early care and education?

Together, we’ll explore what Friends Center’s Free Teacher Housing Initiative has made possible, hear from people advancing innovative solutions to the early childhood workforce crisis, and consider what it could look like to bring these ideas to more communities across the country.

The convening will also include an Open House celebrating the completion of the nation’s first Free Teacher Housing Village, developed in partnership with Yale School of Architecture’s Jim Vlock Building Project.
Come see the Village. Join the conversation. Meet the people working to reimagine what investment in the early childhood workforce can look like.

📅 October 14–16
📍 New Haven, CT
📝 Space is limited and registration is filling quickly. Register today!

Register at the link in bio.

Great schools are built by great leaders.At Friends Center, our School Directors and Assistant School Directors play an ...
08/24/2026

Great schools are built by great leaders.

At Friends Center, our School Directors and Assistant School Directors play an important role in creating a school community where children, educators, and families feel supported, connected, and empowered to grow.

We’re looking for thoughtful, collaborative leaders who are excited to support educators, strengthen school communities, and help shape the day-to-day experience of young children.

Could you be our next School Director or Assistant School Director?

Explore open positions and learn more about joining the Friends Center team at the link in bio.

We’re so excited to see Friends Center for Children’s Free Teacher Housing Initiative, First Home, First Teacher, featur...
08/21/2026

We’re so excited to see Friends Center for Children’s Free Teacher Housing Initiative, First Home, First Teacher, featured in a new article from Mother Jones and The 74.

For early educators, housing stability can make a critical difference in their ability to stay in the field and build a life in the communities they serve. At Friends Center, we’re exploring what it looks like to make rent-free housing part of the solution—and sharing what we’re learning along the way.

We’re deeply grateful to the partners and supporters who have made this work possible, and proud to see a conversation that began here in New Haven continuing to grow across the country.

Read the full article: https://www.the74million.org/zero2eight/more-early-childhood-programs-are-providing-free-housing-to-teaching-staff/

This fall, we’ll bring that growing conversation home for First Home, First Teacher: Free Teacher Housing National Convening, October 14–16 in New Haven, gathering leaders across early childhood education, housing, philanthropy, architecture, policy and community development to explore what comes next.

Learn more and register:
https://friendscenterforchildren.org/2026-national-housing-convening/

08/18/2026

With back-to-school season just around the corner, this , Educator Val Shaw introduces This Is How We Make Friends by DK Ryland (DK Ryland) — a playful and heartwarming story about friendship, connection, and all the different ways we build relationships with one another.

Through bright illustrations and a fun exploration of friendship, this book encourages young readers to think about kindness, empathy, and what it means to make someone feel welcome… all great reminders as children head into a new school year and new communities.

Friends Center for Children is hiring an Emergent Curriculum Literacy Coordinator to help children and families build jo...
08/17/2026

Friends Center for Children is hiring an Emergent Curriculum Literacy Coordinator to help children and families build joyful, meaningful connections with books, language, learning, and community.

In this role, you’ll collaborate with educators, support literacy-rich and play-based learning, lead family literacy experiences, connect families with community resources, and lead our Mobile Library Program—bringing books and learning opportunities directly into neighborhoods and community spaces.

If you’re passionate about early literacy, emergent curriculum, and creating more equitable access to learning and resources, we’d love to have you join our team.

📍 New Haven, CT

Learn more and apply through the link in our bio.

Address

227 E Grand Avenue
New Haven, CT
06513

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 6pm
Tuesday 6am - 6pm
Wednesday 6am - 6pm
Thursday 6am - 6pm
Friday 6am - 6pm

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