Spring/Summer 2018 Newsletter – Early Childhood Services

UNION SETTLEMENT CHRONICLE – SPRING/SUMMER 2018

Program Spotlight: Early Childhood Services
Union Settlement Fosters All Aspects of a Child’s Education

“Union Settlement believes that all children can learn at a high level. We are committed to doing what it takes to help each individual child thrive,” says Chanda Huston, Director of Early Childhood Services.

Union Settlement’s vision is that the children who graduate from our early childhood programs will be fully prepared to succeed in kindergarten and beyond, and that, though they come from a low-income and underserved community, they will develop skills comparable to children from middle-class homes.

We achieve this vision by adopting the educational approaches, curricula and teaching strategies that will help our children and families reach their potential.

“We continually strive to meet the needs of the whole child by fostering a child’s social, emotional, physical, cognitive, language and literacy development, as well as integrating health, nutrition, mental health and family services,” added Dr. Huston. “Our classrooms are inclusive of children with disabilities; respectful of differences in gender, culture, language, ethnicity and family composition; and welcoming to parents.”

Union Settlement is currently serving over 500 children in seven centers and through our network of over 60 family childcare providers, who operate early education centers in their own homes under our guidance and supervision.

Our early childhood programs work with the entire family and provide the highest quality family services by making referrals for a wide range of family service needs, including mental health and disabilities services, crisis management and health care.

Additionally, our centers offer full-day programming, including the summers and holidays, which is especially beneficial to working families.

“Union Settlement’s strong foothold in the East Harlem community makes our early childhood program the perfect setting for families who want their children to succeed in school and beyond,” concluded Dr. Huston.