LEAP - Learning, Employment, Assistance, Partnership

06/02/2026

Don't wait to apply for Head Start Preschool until the last minute! Seats are limited, they'll fill quickly over the summer, and you won't want to miss out on all of the benefits of the high quality programming we offer.

We have options to meet your needs.
🏡 Expectant families, infants, and toddlers under 3 can take advantage of our once a week, in home Home-Based program.
🏫 Toddlers 18mos to 3 can join the daily fun in our Whitehall, Cambridge, River Street, or Dix Avenue Early Head Start Centers.
🏫 Preschoolers 3 to 5 also get to join in the daily Center-Based fun at all four of the centers above, AND at our Granville Center, too!

Seriously, what are you waiting for? Apply today! Home-Based and Early Head Start programs run year-long. Open Enrollment is currently happening for Head Start Preschool for the 2026-2027 school year.
All programs usually enroll in less than 30 days from acceptance!

Apply online or call 518-746-9600! Tell them Facebook sent you!

📸: Open enrollment yard signs line the road in front of the Dix Ave Center.

05/27/2026

Some of our Dix Avenue team members were able to spend a little team bonding time out at the Grassland Bird Trust in Fort Edward. The nature walkers and other team members who couldn't make it today are all in agreement - outdoor team bonding is a must! 😀

Team building doesn't have to be limited to ice breakers when there are so many ways to get creative! How does your team like to bond?

05/26/2026

This is one of the reasons why we work so hard to build strong relationships with our families, and among our families. Parenting is easier with a support system, and we're here to help foster those important relationships.

Nearly one-third of parents report lacking support from family, friends or partners.

That kind of isolation isn’t just painful, it’s harmful.

A caregiver’s mental health directly affects a baby’s development. Stress, depression, and burnout can make it harder to bond, respond, and connect. Babies feel that deeply.

Babies don’t just need love. They need supported love. That means showing up for caregivers with policies, programs and community care that make parenting possible.

Believe In Babies. Support families. Learn how: https://bit.ly/40ETQdq

05/22/2026

"Most dads don’t need more advice.⁣⁣⁣⁣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.⁣" - 𝘚𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘨, 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 (𝐊𝐢𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧) challenges fathers and male caregivers to seek out the causes of a child's acting out or withdrawing, relying on emotional connections to prevent escalation.⁣
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We're going to be sharing these great 15 prompts each week so that the father-figures and male caregivers in our world can explore and grow their parenting skills! ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: fatherhoodchannel.com⁣⁣
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Stop back next Friday for the next prompt!⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Interested in jour upcoming Father-Figures Social and Support group? 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭 "𝐃𝐀𝐃" 𝐭𝐨 𝟓𝟏𝟖-𝟑𝟑𝟖-𝟓𝟐𝟖𝟎!

05/22/2026

Holy, moly! What an amazing turnout today at the Kingsbury Volunteer Hose Company on Burgoyne Avenue! We had 20 different community partners attend our LEAP Into Your Community Resources day!

The agencies in attendance today provide education, medical, safety, nutrition, mental health, transportation, insurance, domestic violence, housing, immigration, family support, and numerous other lifespan services across our region. Like us, their missions all aim to support strong, healthy, successful communities, and we're incredibly thankful for their work and their time today.

We're also so proud of the number of our own team members who took time out of their morning to meet their peers and learn about services they can connect their students, families, and clients to. They made some new relationships and asked strong questions.

Thank you all for joining us, for your feedback for our next event like this (yes, there will definitely be one) and to the team at the firehouse for hosting us.

05/22/2026

Come on down to the Kingsbury Volunteer Hose Company for the LEAP Into Your Community Resources event and meet the folks who show up to work every day with the singular goal of helping our neighbors live their best lives! We're here until 1pm!

05/22/2026

Don't forget to stop by the LEAP Into Your Community Resources event at the Kingsbury Volunteer Hose Company today 10am to 1pm. Amy, Mary, Jodie, and Zac are ready to answer your LEAP Head Start, Community Services, and Workforce Development program questions! We've got dozens of community partners here to help you and your neighbors thrive!

05/21/2026

Yesterday team members from across our agency wore pink for a little "on Wednesdays, we wear pink" fun - even the littlest ones.

It doesn't take a whole lot to add a little bit of fun into the routine. And how can you wear pink and not be happy?!

Did you wear your pink yesterday? Share in the comments!

05/21/2026

Hey, dads!
💭How do you want your kids to remember you?
💓 What do you hope for your kids' future?

Join us at our first meeting of dads and male caregivers this evening at our Dix Avenue Center, from 6pm to 7pm. This opportunity is for you. Tell us what you'd like to see, learn, and be a part of. We're here to help you build the future you were just thinking about with those questions.

Open to father figures and male caregivers of children enrolled in our Early Head Start and Head Start Preschool programs, AND fathers and male caregivers participating in WAIT House programming. Expectant fathers encouraged to attend. This is an adult-only event, not a parent-child activity.

More Info? RSVP? Text or call Zac at 518-338-5280!

05/21/2026

All of our learning centers have received four star ratings from !
A strong rating like this is the result of dedicated, compassionate professionals who show up every day and work to help children and families grow and learn.

𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐍𝐘 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞’𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟓-𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬. ⁣
The goal of QUALITYstarsNY is to ensure children and families have access to excellent early learning opportunities by providing individualized, comprehensive support to early childhood programs. ⁣
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The core of QUALITYstarsNY’s mission and the work we do with early childhood programs is focused on Continuous Quality Improvement. To help programs improve and sustain quality, QUALITYstarsNY participants receive access to individualized support from a designated Quality Improvement Specialist; professional development opportunities and scholarships; guidance, tools, and materials to enhance their learning environment, and a wide range of resources. Programs continue to work toward increasing and sustaining quality. QUALITYstarsNY sees quality as a journey rather than a single achievement.⁣
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Research shows that children who attend high-quality early learning programs do better in school and throughout life. QUALITYstarsNY’s model for supporting high-quality programming has been proven effective in increasing and sustaining program quality. Families can look for high quality programs by searching QUALITYstarsNY’s interactive map of participating programs. ⁣
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There are four key areas of the QUALITYstarsNY Standards that are used to assess quality and program needs, since they are critical to forming a nurturing and exciting environment for children to play, learn and grow. ⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞:⁣
𝟏. Learning environment⁣
𝟐. Family engagement⁣
𝟑. Staff qualifications and experience⁣
𝟒. Management and leadership

We are incredibly proud of the teams at our centers. We've always known how amazing they are, and this extra validation is hard earned. Bravo, team!