ChildCareGroup

By aligning with the Aspen Institute's Ascend Network, ChildCareGroup (CCG) strives to break the cycle of generational poverty through quality early education for children ages 0 to 5 and support services for their families. The
Ascend Network reports that investments in high-quality early education yield a 7-10 percent per year return
on investment based on increased school and career achievement as well as reduced social costs; that
physical health and mental health have a major impact on a family’s ability to thrive - impacting everything
from a child's school attendance to a parent's earning ability; that a $3,000 difference in parents’ income
when their child is young is associated with a 17 percent increase in the child’s future earnings; and that a
strong and resilient family structure can bolster the aspirations parents have for their children and help move
families out of poverty.
Early childhood education alone is not enough to improve the next generation's socio-economic
prospects: the entire family needs services and access to resources. A child coming home to a stressed
environment with too few resources and overwhelmed parents who are struggling to make ends meet will
face greater economic and academic challenges than a child with engaged caregivers, an economically secure
family situation, and an enriching environment both in and outside the home. CCG recognizes that families in
poverty need resources beyond early childhood education, including financial resources to pay bills, access to
health care, and education/ job training to improve their career prospects. By addressing the needs of the
whole family, CCG works to help strengthen the family unit, improve long-term economic outcomes for
children and their parents, and impact academic outcomes for children far beyond the preschool years.
Through its Two Generation model, CCG strives to help families - especially families of color who live in
historically marginalized communities - achieve positive, long-term educational and economic outcomes.

Provide nurturing care and school readiness services to approximately 1,634 children annually to help them become prepared for success in school and in life. ChildCareGroup’s commitment to providing the highest quality services to the most vulnerable children is demonstrated through accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the highest quality indicator possible in the field of early childhood education. Of the 1,500 licensed and registered childcare facilities in Dallas County, only 28 programs are NAEYC accredited. CCG operates six of those distinguished programs.
CCG's small class size and low child-to-teacher ratios contribute to its high-quality programs. A teacher designs an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each child in the program based on assessments, parent input and best early childhood practices. One feature of quality that is unique to CCG is the Constant Care Group model: children stay in the program for up to five years and change teachers only once during their transition from infant/toddler to the preschool classroom, rather than one or more times per year.
In ChildCareGroup’s preschool classrooms, a CCG teacher co-teaches alongside a Dallas ISD preK teacher in each preschool classroom. These children are dually-enrolled in both CCG’s program and Dallas ISD preK. Classrooms are rich in numeracy and literacy, and classroom materials are dual-labeled in both English and Spanish. PreK teachers implement the Growing Up Wild science curriculum and Frog Street Pre-K curriculum. Frog Street is research-based and integrates instruction across developmental and early learning domains, including social-emotional development and English and Spanish language development. Each day is organized around a balance of child-led and teacher-led early learning activities, including Whole-Group, Circle Time, and Center Time, which provide an anchor for conversation, play, and learning. This comprehensive curriculum includes enrichment resource materials and activities for large and small group instruction for children ages 3-5 years. In the Infant/Toddler program, teachers also utilize the Frog Street curriculum to nurture children, inspire creativity, and foster exploration. The I Am Moving, I Am Learning curriculum helps lay healthy nutritional and physical activity foundations in the earliest years. ChildCareGroup’s Early Childhood Program team includes full time teachers and other education staff who work towards the common goals of educating young children and preparing them for success in school and in life. At the same time, CCG assists parents in achieving their own goals that will help their families thrive. Continuity is important to ChildCareGroup’s model: children may enter ChildCareGroup’s program as early as age six weeks (though mothers may enroll in the program prenatally) and transition when they move on to Kindergarten.

The mission of ChildCareGroup (CCG) is to champion a strong two-generation early childhood system that teaches children and parents, trains early childhood professionals, and assists families. CCG believes that all children, regardless of background or circumstance, deserve a solid foundation that will help them succeed in school and in life. CCG’s successful early education programs are built on over a century of experience in helping provide a safe, nurturing, educational setting for young children and coordinated support services to help lift families out of poverty.

ChildCareGroup was founded in 1901 as the Dallas Free Kindergarten Training and Industrial Association. Our original location, near Cedar Springs and McKinney Avenue, was known as the Neighborhood House, and was the first of many settlement houses set up around the state to provide educational and social programs for the children of immigrants, the working class, and the poor, primarily those who worked in Dallas’ cotton industry. Through partnerships and collaborations, CCG began providing nutrition and medical services and developed the holistic philosophy still practiced today. Over time, one thing has remained constant: CCG’s profound commitment to helping families raise intellectually, emotionally and physically healthy young children. This history of caring remains at the heart of ChildCareGroup’s mission today.

Children cannot rise out of poverty by themselves. In order to improve long-term outcomes for children, CCG must provide quality early childhood interventions while also improving opportunities for parents. Using the Two Generation (2Gen) Approach, evidenced by research from The Aspen Institute’s Ascend Network and nationwide best practices, ChildCareGroup links its nationally accredited Early Childhood Program to other support services that help stabilize families as they strive for greater self-sufficiency. While continuing to build out this two-generation model with the help of collaborative partners, ChildCareGroup is committed to the continued best practice implementation of its cornerstone Early Childhood Program, which provides robust, comprehensive early childhood education for the community’s most vulnerable children.

ChildCareGroup’s Vision: Children do better as their parents do better. When families thrive, communities succeed

ChildCareGroup knows that access to high quality early childhood education is critical for success in school and in life. It is also critical to helping break the cycle of poverty. All ChildCareGroup center-based and home-based early childhood programs are nationally accredited and utilize best practices. However, delivering best practice early childhood programming is not enough. Through CCG’s two-generation approach, both parents and children have the opportunity to succeed, thereby securing the investment of philanthropic dollars in our programs.

By piloting this approach in our centers and building out the model with input from trusted collaborative partners, CCG hopes to demonstrate our impact in reducing poverty for low-income citizens of Dallas County. CCG believes that our two-generation model serves as a replicable and scalable strategy for the community, based on the success of children and families in its own programs. CCG’s new initiative with United Way and PepsiCo will provide the opportunity to pilot this community ‘hub’ approach to 2Gen service delivery.

As North Texas’ largest and most comprehensive provider of early childhood programs and services, ChildCareGroup has been responsive to the changing early childhood landscape. CCG’s strategy is designed to best meet the needs of the community’s youngest and most vulnerable children and their parents, and to collaborate with partner agencies to leverage resources. ChildCareGroup’s early childhood programs and its two-generation approach is critically important as ChildCareGroup implements, refines, and expands its innovative, transformational program model.