Anchor Early Years

10/18/2026

Mealtime is about so much more than eating.

Every bite, scoop, choice, and conversation gives children an opportunity to practice independence, build fine motor skills, explore new tastes and textures, develop language, and connect with others.

From an infant discovering food with their senses to a preschooler serving themselves and joining the conversation, so much learning happens around the table.

More than a meal. A time to learn. 💜

10/18/2026

Calling All Presenters! | ¡Convocatoria de Presentadores!

Help us bring Growing Together | Creciendo Juntos to life!

We're looking for engaging presenters to lead workshops in English and Spanish for Connecticut's family child care community.

Deadline: October 30, 2026
Selected presenters receive free conference registration and a $100 stipend.

¡Buscamos presentadores!

Comparte tus conocimientos y experiencias con la comunidad de cuidado infantil familiar de Connecticut. Buscamos talleres en inglés y español.

Fecha límite: 30 de octubre de 2026
Los presentadores seleccionados recibirán inscripción gratuita y un estipendio de $100.

Submit / Envía tu propuesta:
https://forms.gle/LqZwkYSLzErJ1tW48

Please share! | ¡Comparte!

10/16/2026

This weekend is a perfect one for a family story swap.

Ask your child to tell you a made up story. Then you tell one. Then take turns adding to the same story until it goes somewhere nobody expected.

Storytelling builds language, sequencing, creativity, and imagination. It also leads to some of the funniest conversations you will have all fall. Let it go wherever it goes.

10/15/2026

Are you tracking your hours, your expenses, and your mileage?

Many family child care providers leave money on the table every year simply because the business side of the work does not get the same attention as the care side.

Your time has value. Your expenses are deductible. Your professional development costs count. Fifteen minutes a week on your records now saves you significant stress in April.

10/14/2026

Executive function skills, the ability to focus, plan, remember instructions, and manage impulses, develop most rapidly between ages three and five.

They are not taught through worksheets. They are built through games with rules, pretend play with roles, waiting turns, cleaning up, and following multi-step routines.

Every time a child stops and thinks before acting, that is executive function growing. It is happening in the ordinary moments all day long.

10/13/2026

Connecticut Child Care Providers: Your Voice Matters!

What does it really cost to provide quality child care in Connecticut?

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), in partnership with Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS), wants to hear from child care program owners and directors to help inform future Care 4 Kids payment rates.

Whether you operate a child care center, family child care home, school-age program, or another eligible child care setting, your experience and perspective are important!

There are two ways to share your voice:

Register for a Provider Input Session:
https://www.prenatal5fiscal.org/connecticut/engagement

Complete the Provider Survey:
https://www.prenatal5fiscal.org/connecticut/engagement

Both opportunities are available in English and Spanish.

At Anchor Early Years, we encourage providers to participate and help ensure that the real costs of delivering quality early childhood care and education are reflected in these important conversations.

Your experience matters. Make sure your voice is heard!

10/13/2026

October is the month staff start to show you who they really are when the newness wears off.

The ones who are struggling will start to show it. The ones who are thriving will start to lead without being asked. The ones in the middle need your attention most right now.

Check in this week with the people you have not thought much about lately. That might be exactly where your energy belongs.

10/12/2026

Today is a day that means different things to different people. Whatever it brings for you, use the pause to remember whose land we stand on and whose stories have been here longer than any of us.

Honoring history honestly takes courage. It also takes humility. Both are worth practicing today.

10/11/2026