Early Childhood Programs

Program Overview

CCG was founded in 1901 as the Dallas Free Kindergarten Training and Industrial Association. Our original location, near Cedar Springs and McKinney Avenue, was known as the Neighborhood House, and was the first of many settlement houses set up around the state to provide educational and social programs for the children of immigrants, the working class, and the poor, primarily those who worked in Dallas' cotton industry. Through partnerships and collaborations, CCG began providing
nutrition and medical services and developed the holistic philosophy still practiced today. Over time, one thing has remained constant: CCG's profound commitment to helping families raise intellectually, emotionally and physically healthy young children. This history of caring remains at the heart of CCG's mission today. Children cannot rise out of poverty by themselves. In order to improve long-term outcomes for children, CCG must provide quality early childhood interventions while also improving opportunities for parents. Using the Two Generation (2Gen) Approach, evidenced by research from The Aspen Institute's Ascend Network and nationwide best practices, CCG links its nationally accredited Early Childhood Program to other support services that help stabilize families as they strive for greater self-sufficiency.

CCG is proud of these recent accomplishments: we were awarded two federal grants to provide Early Head Start and Head Start programming in Dallas and Navarro Counties to serve 788 additional children annually (2019); we launched a comprehensive, mobile-optimized website called NorthTexasFamilies.org, which serves as a "one stop shop" for families to find child care programs, connect to services, and
apply for benefits (2018); we were recognized by the national Parents as Teachers office as an exemplary Blue Ribbon Affiliate for our Born Learning home visiting program (2017); the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Head Start National Center on Health selected CCG's Martin Luther King Jr. Center
to participate in a Head Start/medical home learning collaborative (2015); CCG won the H-E-B "Excellence in Education" Award as best Early Childhood Education organization in Texas (2014); and in 1986, CCG became the first organization in Dallas to receive accreditation by NAEYC (National Association of the Education of Young Children), and we have maintained it since 1986, a 27 year testament to our standard of excellence. Of the 28 early childhood programs that have earned the prestigious NAEYC accreditation in North Texas, six of them are ChildCareGroup centers.

Cost Info

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

"My name is Joe and I am a father to 6 children, but I really wasn't a real dad - I didn't know how to be. I come from a family that was full of prison time, gangs, and drugs. My dad wasn't good, my grandfather wasn't good, and I didn't know what to do as a dad. CCG gave me a second chance to redeem myself as a dad and to redeem my family. Through CCG, I am being encouraged as a parent to read to my kids and help them learn at home. The first time they told me to read a book to my son, I had to stop and think... I realized that no one had ever read a book to ME. No one. I read a book to my son for the first time as a 40 year old man and I cried like a baby. Only someone who never had a book read to them when they were a child would understand that feeling. For me, it was about stopping the cycle - starting something new. I can see the progress my sons are making because of CCG. Joshua is in kindergarten and he's on the "A-B" honor roll. My 3 year-old son Jonah loves school at CCG. CCG has made a very big impact, not only for my family now, but for our future. I can see my sons graduating high school. I can picture it!

Our CCG Center is the place where it all started. For that, I will
always remember and be grateful. To anyone who has ever
given a dollar or an hour of time, thank you! You not only
changed my sons' lives, you created a new path for my wife and
me, and our whole family - a legacy of education and success.
We will give back to our community and remember the first step
to our future was walking through the doors of our CCG center."