Pathways Early Learning Center

05/29/2026

These two right here.

Ms. Earnestine Adams, our Pathways ELC Dietitian, and Ms. Phaedra Davis, our Pathways Dietary Manager — they have been showing up for this community long before the ELC even opened its doors.

Earnestine has spent nearly 50 years in nutrition and early intervention for infants and toddlers. She still shows up like it is her first day. Phaedra runs our kitchen with so much heart that people find reasons to come by just to be in the space she creates.

Together they manage our CACFP nutrition program and make sure food at Pathways ELC is more than just a meal — it connects to how our children learn and explore every single day.

Those brown bag lunches at McWane last week? That was them too. 💛

We are grateful for every single thing they pour into the ELC!

05/28/2026

We took over McWane Science Center last Friday and honestly? It was one of those days that reminds you why this work matters so much. Current families, former families, little ones who started in our infant room now running through exhibits like they own the place.

Watching our children explore, question, and light up — and watching their families right there with them, on the floor, present, following their child’s lead — that is everything. That is the work too.

We laughed a lot. We had real conversations — wins people are celebrating, things families are still working through. And we held all of it together. That is Pathways ELC. Not just a program your child attends but a community that stays with you.

Thank you for trusting us with your babies and your stories. We do not take that lightly. 🌿🤍

05/25/2026

05/21/2026

🍞✨ Dine for a cause!
Join us for a Benefit Night at Panera Bread on Sunday, June 8th from 4–8 PM and help support Pathways! A portion of proceeds from every purchase will come back to us but only if you do your part! 🙌

📍 In-store: Simply mention Pathways at the time of your order.
💻 Online orders: Use the code found on our flyer at checkout.

Whether you’re grabbing a soup, a sandwich, or a sweet treat every bite makes a difference. Share this post, tag a friend, and let’s make this night a huge success!

❤️ Thank you for your support. It truly means the world to us!

05/15/2026

Last week in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week our Birmingham community and Pathways showed up for our ELC team in a big way.

Be Kind Birmingham gifted hand selected baskets chosen with our Montessori curriculum in mind. PNC Grow Up Great invested in our classrooms with Lakeshore Learning gift cards and surprised each of our educators with their very own personalized yard sign. Pathways brought Dunkin’ Donuts and some of their favorite snacks for those hard days. And Taco Mama, on behalf of Pathways board member Stephanie Pires, fed our entire Pathways family.

These educators didn’t just show up when the doors opened. They helped get the doors open. And this community made sure they knew it.

This is what it looks like to work at Pathways ELC.
If that’s where you belong — review requirements and apply at pathwayshome.org. We want to hear from you. 💛

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day from Pathways Early Learning Center!

The mothers in our program are some of the strongest people we know. They are showing up for their children every single day through circumstances most of us will never face — and they are doing it with so much love and so much fight.

Today we are asking our community to show up for them.

Pathways is raising funds through a limited Mother’s Day mug sale, handcrafted by women through Prodigal Pottery. Prodigal Pottery employs and empowers women rebuilding their lives after homelessness, domestic abuse, and trafficking. Every mug carries that story. Every dollar raised supports housing, stability, and care for mothers and young children right here in Birmingham.

🧡 How to get yours:
👉 Donate $20 or more at https://pathwayshome.org/donate/
📝 Type MUG in the notes
📞 Call 205-322-6854 ext. 305 to schedule pickup

Mugs are limited. This is a chance to do something that actually matters today!

05/01/2026

Do you know a family experiencing homelessness?

Tell them about us.

Pathways Early Learning Center is a tuition-free, trauma-informed, Montessori-inspired preschool program inside Pathways Women’s Shelter, and we exist for families just like theirs. Every child here deserves a safe, beautiful place to learn and grow, no matter what their family is walking through right now.

We are currently enrolling children ages 18 months through 2.5 years. Families with children of other ages are warmly welcome to submit their information and we will add them to our waitlist.

The link below takes you directly to our enrollment submission form. Once we receive it, someone from our team will reach out personally to talk through eligibility, availability, and what next steps look like.

Your information is kept private and confidential. There is no pressure, no judgment, and no obligation. Just a conversation when you are ready to have it.

There is no wrong time to reach out. If the moment is now, we are ready.

Submit here: https://pathwayshome.org/path-to-enrollment/

If this is not your family’s season, it might be someone else’s. Please share this post. You never know whose feed it needs to land on. 💛

04/20/2026

Meet Mr. Caden.

Mr. Caden is our Lead Preschool Educator at Pathways Early Learning Center. He came to this work the same way the best educators do — not by accident, but by searching. By holding every environment he encountered to a high standard until he found one that actually met it. He brings years of experience working with toddlers to his role as our Preschool Lead — and right now, he is doing double duty: opening our toddler room, training new educators, and raising the bar for what early childhood education can look like every single day.

Watching him grow into the educator he is becoming has been one of the greatest honors of this work.

In his own words: “I have always been a curious individual. I learned to crave purpose, autonomy, and intention — values I carried with me as I searched for a career that truly aligned with who I am. That search led me through a variety of approaches to early childhood education until I discovered Pathways and Montessori. Here I found an environment where the science of how children learn is not just acknowledged, but honored. Where curiosity is encouraged, autonomy is respected, and every child’s development is approached with intention and evidence. I found a place where growth is celebrated — and one I would trust with my own children.”

We are so lucky he is here. 💛 If you know someone who leads with this kind of heart and intention, we would love to meet them — we are growing our team.

Visit pathwayshome.org to be part of what we are building.

10/10/2025

Big things are happening at Pathways! 🎉 Join us for the Early Learning Center Open House as we unveil our beautiful new space made possible through partnership and community.

✨ You’re invited! Join us as we celebrate the grand reopening of our newly renovated Early Learning Center a place where little learners grow, heal, and thrive. 💛
📅 November 4 | 🕠 5:30–7:30 PM