Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington Appoints Coordinator
Crystal Heft to Direct Program for Southington Children
(October 2, 2008) The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington (ECCS), which strives to ensure that all Southington children enter school ready to learn, has appointed Crystal Heft as coordinator.
Heft has 10 years of experience working with preschool-aged children and their families in public and private daycare settings and preschools. She most recently was a preschool teacher with the Berlin Public Schools, and she has also been a special education preschool teacher in East Haven. An avid volunteer, Heft has for the last three years worked with Hillside Community Church in Forestville to develop and implement instructional in-service workshops on child development and teaching for all children’s workers.
In her role with ECCS, Heft will work closely with Southington public schools, parents, child care providers and the community at large to advocate for high-quality child care, empower parents and families, and continue to establish ECCS as a resource for Southington parents and professionals on early child care and education.
“I am deeply passionate about the early childhood years and excited to have this opportunity to raise awareness about how truly important early childhood education is, to unite those who feel the same, and to coordinate the opportunities available here in Southington,” said Heft, who succeeds Sarah Bogdanski-Bourdon.
“ECCS has, under Sarah’s dedicated guidance, established itself over the last couple of years as an important resource and advocate for Southington’s children and families,” said Sue Vivian, co-chair of ECCS. “We look forward to continuing this momentum with Crystal on board and working hard with all of those who care so much about our children’s future.”
Added Moira Myers, ECCS co-chair, “Southington leaders are actively working to improve programs and services for children of all ages. We are excited to have Crystal, with a wealth of experience, help us provide what is needed for our youngest citizens and their families.”
Heft, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and early childhood education from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in special education with a concentration in early childhood education from Southern Connecticut State University, is a Plainville native and lives there with her husband Todd and two preschool aged boys, Noah and Ezra.
Primary funding for ECCS comes from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund as part of its signature Discovery initiative, which focuses on parent leadership, engagement and community collaboration in improving the lives of young Connecticut children. Southington is one of 53 Graustein Discovery communities in Connecticut. The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain administers the program as lead collaborative agency.
The ECCS offices are located at Derynoski School, 240 Main Street, Southington, 06489. Heft may be reached at (860) 628-3286, ext. 380, or by e-mail at
southingtonearlychildhood@yahoo.com. For more information on ECCS, visit www.southingtonearlychildhood.org.
Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain connects donors who care with causes that matter in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. It does this by raising resources and developing partnerships that make a measurable improvement in the quality of life in each of these communities.
For more information on the Foundation, please call (860) 229-6018 or visit www.cfgnb.org.
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