Building Early Links for Learning Project

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Contact
Sierra Austin
​[email protected]
(267) 777-5843​

5th annual bell summit recap

Promising Practices 2024

BELL Report Progress During COVID

Leading and Educating: Omari Baye

Building Early Links for Learning (BELL) provides access to early childhood programs for young children who experience homelessness in Philadelphia by:
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• Connecting housing agencies to local high quality early learning programs to increase enrollment opportunities for children birth through age five.
• Advising housing agencies on designating developmentally appropriate spaces for young children in their program to promote healthy development during their shelter stay.
• Educating housing agency staff on the benefits of high quality early childhood education and on how to recognize a high quality early learning program.
• Encouraging early childhood education programs to build staff capacity regarding trauma informed care and promoting resilience in development.
• Supporting early childhood education programs to better serve families experiencing homelessness through workshops and one-on-one technical assistance.
• Serving emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, and permanent supportive housing programs to create smooth transitions and fully support families who have experienced homelessness.

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Resource Map

Click Here

This map is intended to provide information on resources available to families in the Philadelphia area. This includes the location and information for emergency and transitional housing shelters (EH-TH), permanent supportive housing shelters (PSH), Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC), PA Pre-K Counts and PHL Pre-K centers, childcare centers with traditional and after hours care, and Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start centers (EHS).