NEKCA and LI Announce New Family Resource Center Partnership

Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) is excited to announce the opening of a new Family Resource Center on the Lyndon Institute (LI) campus this coming September. This innovative partnership will expand NEKCA’s family-centered services and integrate with LI’s Early Childhood Career & Technical Education (CTE) program.

“The partnership between LI and NEKCA is a natural one and beneficial to the whole community” said Head of School Dr. Brian Bloomfield. “We're excited to host children from birth through graduation on campus and support training the next generation of child care providers”.

The new Family Resource Center will offer comprehensive early childhood care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. In addition to classroom-based care, the center will provide family-based services, including home visiting, playgroups, parent support, early intervention services, and essential needs assistance such as diapers, formula, and clothing. These services, previously offered at 115 Lincoln St. in Saint Johnsbury, will all be located on the LI campus. According to Jenna O’Farrell, NEKCA Executive Director, “the shift in service locations will allow NEKCA the ability to offer a more robust, consolidated early childhood hub. The Family Resource Center will incorporate training and educational experiences to students that will assist in growing our future workforce in the field of early childhood”. NEKCA will maintain an additional Family Space at their new location at 1197 Main Street, St. Johnsbury that will open in September.

“We are so excited to partner with Lyndon Institute”, said Nancy Powers, NEKCA’s Director of Early Childhood and Family Programs. “LI and NEKCA are both mission-forward organizations, and our shared goals to uplift families are at the core of what we do. This collaboration allows us to integrate our family-centered offerings with LI’s unique CTE program, providing high school students with immersive experiences in various early childhood career pathways while building strong, intergenerational community bonds and instilling a passion for childcare.” 

The LI Early Childhood CTE program is designed to invest in the early childhood profession by giving high school students hands-on experience in areas such as classroom-based care and education, home visiting, early intervention, and administration. Students completing this program will gain valuable skills and knowledge, preparing them for careers in the early childhood field. The program will be led by Nichole Ruggles, a long-time educator in the region, and the founding director of the former Kingdom Montessori School. “Nichole is going to be a fantastic fit for this program” states LI CTE Director David Schilling. “She came to us with high recommendations across our community, and her experience and skill will inspire the next generation of educators”. 

All Family Resource Center programs will begin in early September at the Mathewson House and Vinton Building on the LI campus. Enrollment is now open for children and families. The center will offer both Head Start eligible enrollment spots and open enrollment spots for all families. Applications for all families can be submitted through this on-line link: https://www.goengage.app/pre-app?globalid=5841. For more information regarding enrollment, please contact Heather Lytle (hlytle@nekcavt.org) or Katie Foster (kfoster@nekcavt.org).

Additionally, NEKCA is actively hiring qualified staff for new teaching and support positions at the Family Resource Center. Open positions are listed on Indeed.