Family Resources Home
Family and Early Childhood Resources
Please save and check the ECC Family Event Registration Form regularly. This central RSVP form is a great place to find out about and sign up for:
- Caregiver workshops: Bedtime strategies, behavior support, first aid, and sharing.
- Family-friendly fun: Nature walks, family game time at Forbes Library, and monthly playdates at the Smith College gardens and art museum.
- Drop-in playgroups: Monday–Thursday during the school year, plus occasional Sunday afternoon parties.
- Community-wide events: December Kindergarten Information Night, January NPC Preschool Fair, April Week of the Young Child events, and the May Community Baby Shower.
Family Resources
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There are many wonderful preschool options in Northampton and surrounding towns, with excellent long-standing daycare and preschool programs.
Our Preschool Partnership Coordinator Laura Frogameni is well-connected with these programs and our Northampton Public Preschool and has grant funds to support local families with a limited number of subsidized placements in our partnered community preschools. Please contact her by emailing lfrogameni@northampton-k12.us.
Learn More About Northampton Public Preschool Learn More About Our Local Childcare
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Northampton Kindergarten
Learn More About Registering for Kindergarten in Northampton
Hadley Kindergarten
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Morning drop-in playgroups are wonderful opportunities for you and your child to find fun play and friends in a place with plenty of toys and other families. Going to a playgroup can be a fun activity for a morning. Attending a playgroup regularly can be a way for you and your young child to build local friendships for K-12 and beyond!
- School year: Mon-Thurs for ages 0-5
- Summers: 1-2 days a week for ages 0-5
Playgroup schedules follow the Northampton Public Schools calendar.
Parents remain with their children.
Handicap-accessible at all locations. -
The Northampton/Hadley Family Connection (located at the Northampton Early Childhood Center) supports services and activities for young children and families throughout the city and our wider community. This program directly funds and staffs groups and activities on this page— the ParentChild+ program, the Northampton Parents Center, and the Hadley Family Playgroup — as well as organizes Parent Cafes, informational workshops, and the Week of the Young Child celebration in April. We support transitions to kindergarten. During the school year, we also provide parent workshops on a variety of topics. Parent Workshop Topics have included: Routines, Transitions, Sleep, Behavior Management Strategies, and Eating. We are funded by a CFCE (Coordinated Family and Community Engagement) grant from the Massachusetts Dept. of Early Education and Care.
For more information, email our CFCE Program Specialist Ashley Miller at asmiller@northampton-k12.us.
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A home-based literacy, school readiness, and parenting program for Northampton and Hadley parents and their toddlers and preschoolers, which promotes learning and language development through the use of books and toys. ParentChild+ emphasizes verbal interaction and learning through play. Home Visitors help you to realize your role as your child’s first and most important teacher. They generate excitement about learning at home through toys, books, and play.
Did you know:
- you are your child’s first and most important teacher
- your home is your child’s first classroom
- your child learns best through play
- the more you read, speak, or sing to your child the better he or she will do in school
For more information, contact Mandy Gerry by emailing her at mgerry@northampton-k12.us.
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Are you concerned about your child’s development? Northampton offers monthly developmental screenings for children 3-5 years old. Please contact Laura Frogameni Preschool and Partnership Coordinator at earlychildhood@northampton-k12.us.
- Ages and Stages Questionaire is a quick online tool to check on your child’s development. One of our staff members will call you with the results.
- Connections to Early Intervention
- Public School Screenings and Evaluations
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We send out regular emails alerting you to fun events and parenting support in the area for families with small children. If you have an event you’d like local families to know about, please send us an email at earlychildhood@northampton-k12.us.
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