They say it takes a village to raise a child; Early Childhood and Family Center is ready and…read morewaiting to be a part of your family's village. My eldest spent 3 years at ECFC and all of our younger children will absolutely be screened for preschool here.  ECFC offers preschool and headstart (early education for kids ages 3 and 4 in Quincy Public School District).  They screen any child in Quincy who will be 3 by August. I believe they start screening in February and end in June. To be screened all you have to do is call the school and tell them you'd like your child screened. They will arrange a date and time that works well for you. Screening for your kid is done in a very gentle playful way- but they are taken to a room seperate from their guardian- which was unexpected to me. My child was placed in preschool and I could choose between an AM or PM session. I chose AM. I believe all Headstart classes are full day. There is free bus pick-up and drop-off for all kids at ECFC. You can also pick-up and drop-off yourself. There is also free breakfast and lunch. My child recieved breakfast. All meals are served in the classroom in a "family dining style" and the kids learn skills like drinking from cups and putting dirty dishes away themselves. My child wasn't potty trained by 3 and ECFC does not require kids to be potty trained! They will work to help you potty train your kiddo though. By age 4, with their help, my kiddo was fully potty trained. Every classroom has a teacher and a para helper. The staff here are AMAZING! They communicate with you via the Seesaw app. My child struggled the first year of Pre-K and cried almost daily at drop off. Her teacher would send me pictures of her throughout the day to show that she had settled down and was happy. All of her teachers and paras were always open to my questions and comments. We have become close with many of them. Our Pre-K para was even our nanny one summer- becauase my kids loved her so much (and she loved them). All kids at ECFC are screened for Transitional Kindergarten. If they are not meeting Kindergarten expectations by the age of 5, they can be put on the wait list for TK. My kiddo was put in TK and the program was AMAZING! She went from significantly behind in social and academic expectations to literally the top of her class! She is now exceeding expectations in almost all educational areas! The school itself is very well-maintained, neatly organized, and clean. The curriculum is play-based and puts an emphasis on learning letters, numbers, and life skills like dressing yourself and sharing with others. The school is very safe- with security guards and metal detectors. Security patrols the playground as well. The school is in a quiet neighborhood near downtown with no busy streets lining the outdoor play space. Every single staff member here is amazing. Even the teachers who don't have your child in their classroom will learn your child's name and greet them in the hallway. The secretaries, security, director, family support staff- everyone is just so child focused. Your child will be LOVED in this school. I truly cannot more highly recommend this early childhood center.