Children First

Good morning Children First community,
Due to the weather, we will be closed Monday, 1/26. We hope you all stay safe and warm and enjoy your snow ❄️ day!
~ CF Team

Today is my last official day as an employee of Children First. The official end of my 25+ yrs of working for the children, families, educators, and our community to ensure an environment that provided opportunities for everyone to grow and learn and develop. Dozens of educators passed through our doors over the years, many making CF their “forever” home, others carrying our philosophy on to other classrooms around the state and country. Hundreds and hundreds of children and families, some for a brief time and others with us for a decade or more! We have loved children of the children that we had loved. Generations of CF families… CF was my “fourth child,” and I am proud to watch it continue to grow. The CF philosophy shines as a beacon of hope in a society that has gotten so much wrong about early education and care.

New Year’s Eve is always a day for reflection for me, but so much more so this year, with big changes in my professional and personal life, including the loss of my Mom. I want to thank everyone who held me through this time. I am so grateful to each person who contributed to the beautiful tree dedication ceremony and to the amazing memory book of collected pictures and letters. I read every submission and (of course) cried buckets.

I leave CF with:
- a 1100% increase in the building footprint
- a 1700% increase in the size of the property
- a 30,548.4% increase in total assets
- a strong financial safety net and a strong waitlist
- a strong team of internal leaders
- a supported transition to a new ED
- a philosophy rooted in neuroscience, child development, and social-emotional skills that values play, the impact of nature, and the critical role of interpersonal engagement
- an aligned program across the age spectrum served, led by dedicated leaders committed to growth
- a passionate, creative team that lives and breathes putting “children first”
- a group of children and families for whom our role was pivotal to their health, safety, well-being, and development
- millions of hugs, tears, and buckets of laughter
- a plethora of saved turtles, released monarchs, batches of homemade butter and bread, and trips to the beach
- more batches of homemade cookie dough than I can count and thousands served at our Thanksgiving Feasts
- children and their grown ups held through devastating loss and celebrated during their victories
- so many sunrises and sunsets at my second home

…and an immeasurable piece of my heart.

Thank you, Children First, for the honor of birthing you, growing you, leading you, and now handing you on. Love, “Miss Donna”

Due Date: 12/12/25 :)

Hi Children First Friends!!
Don't miss your chance to share your memories and notes of gratitude and inspiration for Donna.
Upload a pic of your kiddo then and now...and tell us how CF still impacts them today!
OR
Do you have a special "Original Artwork" hanging in your home or office? Send us a pic and tell us what it means to you!
Please share the link with friends and family to share their thoughts as well!
https://www.newlywords.com/donna-dennette-founding-director-recognition

Check out our new website! www.childrenfirstofgranby.org

We are hiring for a co-teacher and support staff. Know someone who is interested? Apply here: https://forms.gle/Z1DaCRRSCGXaXUQt5

Home - Children First Enterprises, Inc. Website Under Construction Thank you all for your patience! Happy 25th Anniversary CF! Directions to Our Location: Following route 202...

Today it is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, or spinning in circles just for fun. We’ve taken away merry-go-rounds, shortened the length of swings, and done away with teeter-totters to keep children safe. Children have fewer opportunities for unrestricted outdoor play than ever before, and recess times at school are shrinking due to demanding educational environments.

Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues.

Listed in this graphic are some of the observations veteran teachers are reporting in classrooms everywhere. This was TEN years ago. Unfortunately, things are only getting worse!

It is more important than ever that we embrace the wisdom of past generations & give our bodies and minds what they need -- outdoor play for HOURS every single day!

Tough Topics for Parents Explore Sesame.org

Children First IS hiring!
Great opportunity for a new graduate or someone ready for a change.
Do you want to work in a supportive, trusting environment where education is both play-based and nature-focused? This is the job for you.

Position: Full-time preschool co-teacher (40 hrs/ wk)

Interested? Reach out via Messenger or on this post, let us know here, or find us on Indeed:
https://forms.gle/BTNrVB27UXcvZkXE8

Know someone who might be interested? Pass this along.

Want to help us spread the word? SHARE!

2025 CHILDREN FIRST - PRE-APPLICATION Please complete this form if you would like to be considered as an applicant for employment at Children First. Based on these answers, we will be selecting potential candidates to receive a formal application and bring in for an interview.

HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY, CHILDREN FIRST!

As part of our year-long commemoration of the founding of CF as a non-profit 25 years ago, we commissioned local artist and former CF parent, Jill Kovalchik to update our logo.

You can see our new logo, an expression of our continued commitment to children learning and growing in a joy-filled, play and nature-based setting, on our NEW ENTRY SIGN! Thank you to our long-time Board member, Lance Bartosz, for connecting us to Sign Techniques, who created and installed today!

Keen observers may have seen the VERY first evidence of our new logo on class photos shared recently. Watch for more appearances soon!

Children are more imaginative in nature: Study Colourful slides, balancing beams and plastic stepping stones, or trees, plants and sand? Which is better for children’s development?

Yes!! ❤️

Children First IS hiring!

Position: Full-time preschool co-teacher (40 hrs/ wk)

Interested? Let us know here or find us on Indeed: https://forms.gle/zTfrvty8NFmRCPwT9

Know someone who might be interested? Pass this along.

Want to help us spread the word? SHARE!

CHILDREN FIRST - PRE-APPLICATION Please complete this form if you would like to be considered as an applicant for employment at Children First. Based on these answers, we will be selecting potential candidates to receive a formal application.