Child's Path

Child’s Path (formerly Collier Child Care Resources, Inc.) believes that every child deserves a successful start at life. High-quality early childhood education sets a child on a trajectory to future success in kindergarten, school, employment and life.

The mission of Child’s Path, Inc. is to strengthen and enrich the lives of working families and underserved children in Collier County through high-quality early childhood education. The organization’s vision is to inspire children’s love for lifelong learning.

Child’s Path operates four early childhood development centers and is one of the largest providers of high-quality early childhood care and learning to underserved families in Collier County during a child’s most crucial developmental years. At-risk children who are provided tools to successfully enter kindergarten by meeting all their cognitive, social and emotional development milestones are set on a pathway to future success to break the cycle of poverty.

The core strategies of the organization as defined in the most recent update to the strategic plan are to ensure the future and financial viability of the organization to continue to effectively serve the community through high-quality early childhood education. Core strategies include continual improvement and upgrades to high-quality early childhood education programs, build brand awareness and understanding, and grow a strong revenue stream to offer more scholarships and expand services to the community through donor stewardship, corporate and private foundation support and annual fundraising efforts/events.

Child’s Path (formerly Collier Child Care Resources) operates four high-quality early childhood development centers in Collier County, FL. Approximately 75 percent of the 400 children, ages birth to five years old, served annually are from needy families and are awarded income-based scholarships so parents can continue to work to support their families. Scholarships ensure that no child falls through the cracks - children from working families who earn just above the poverty level – those who do not earn enough to afford childcare but earn too little to qualify for state education assistance. For those families who do receive state assistance, Child’s Path is one of only a few early learning centers to cover the differential – the difference between the amount the family is awarded and Child’s Path tuition rates. The children are ethnically diverse, many from single-parent households and/or from homes where English is not the first language.

Two Child’s Path locations care for the children of teens who wish to finish their education at Golden Gate and Immokalee High Schools and provides parenting skills education.

Child’s Path utilizes the Reggio Emilia early childhood learning philosophy, relying on “the hundred languages” that children use - art, language, physicality, experimentation, relationships and so many other avenues as forms of communication and expression. In this art and nature-based environment, teachers act as coaches and children guide the learning through their own interests. This child-centered learning involves the families in the learning process.

Child’s Path values the importance of proper nourishment to successful early learning. Because many of the children come from families who live in "food deserts," Child's Path provided over 80,000 healthy and nutritious meals last year at no incremental cost.

Since 2008, Child’s Path has been improving the quality of life for children and families in Collier County through high-quality early childhood education to help break the cycle of poverty. Even though 75 percent of children come from economically needy households, 100 percent of students made gains in all their developmental areas in the past year. Over 80 percent of children were socially, cognitively and emotionally ready for kindergarten, well above the Florida state average of 53 percent and the Collier County average of 43 percent. Child’s Path has earned an excellent reputation for its high quality early childhood care and learning and is well-trusted by the parents, partners, businesses, foundations, government entities and the overall community in Collier County.
In the past fiscal year, 54 full time employees and 305 volunteers provided their expertise and capabilities to achieve results and success for the 300-400 children of economically needy families served in four early childhood development centers. Most Child’s Path teachers have Child Development Associate credentials or a college degree, above the industry standard of essential training. The average tenure of teachers is greater than three years, while some have been with Child’s Path 12 years or more. The experience of the board of directors is diverse and provides professional expertise across multiple industries to support and accomplish the organization’s goals.

Child’s Path board of directors recently updated the organization’s strategic plan through 2022 to better reflect its mission and long-term financial viability, changing the organization’s name from Collier Child Care Resources, Inc. – CCCR. The strategies are: (1) continually improve education standards and expand services to more families; (2) build brand understanding and awareness; (3) develop a strong foundation and processes to build revenue through enhanced donor cultivation and stewardship; and (4) secure corporate and private foundation grants and support. Strong year-over-year revenue growth allows Child’s Path to meet the increasing demand for affordable, high-quality early childhood education.

In 2022, Child's Path launched the two-year, $3 million On the Path to a Brighter Future initiative. In addition to seeking corporate, foundation, individual, and community group investment in Child's Path, the Brighter Future initiative seeks to build partnerships with (a) 135+ local companies that employ 400-600 working parents who entrust their children to Child's Path each day, and (b) area churches and other facility operators that wish to make their classroom facilities available to Child's Path, through which Child's Path can increase the accessibility and affordability of high quality early childhood education to low-to-moderate income families of Collier County.

For the latest school year for which data is available (2018-19,) Child’s Path students achieved significant results:
1. 100 percent of students made gains across all their developmental milestones
2. Over 80 percent of students met/exceeded their developmental milestones (pre/post-assessments)
3. 100 percent of senior teen moms earned their high school diplomas
4. 85 percent of students were assessed as “ready for kindergarten,” 30 points above the Florida average of 53 percent and the Collier County average of 43 percent (FL Department of Education Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener – FLKRS)

Yet, many unmet needs still exist. Over 4,000 children in Collier County have no access to high quality and affordable early childhood care and learning. Many are relegated to attend unlicensed facilities or placed in the care of a relative or neighbor, sometimes in unstable situations. Nearly two-thirds of Collier County children are economically needy. Less than 50 percent read at kindergarten levels and less than 45 percent are socially and emotionally ready for kindergarten.

The demand for income-based scholarships has grown by 83 percent (compound annual growth rate) over the past five years. The negative economic impacts on parental employment (layoffs, reduced work hours, etc.) have sky-rocketed the demand for income-based scholarship assistance to even greater levels.

Child’s Path has its sight set on opening additional spaces and increase its scale to service the 4,000 children in Collier County without access to affordable and high-quality early childhood learning. There is still so much work to do. You are invited to contact Child’s Path for more information and updates on the status and ongoing progress toward achieving its strategic goals and impact on the Collier County children, families and community.