History

The Hampshire College Early Learning Center was founded in the fall of 1981 by Hampshire College staff who saw the need for an on-campus child care program. The first year, nine children were cared for and taught in the basement of a College dormitory.

Today, the center serves forty families, approximately 20% of whom are affiliated with the College. In August of 1988, we moved to our current site, which was designed and built specifically for the Early Learning Center and funded by Hampshire College.

Facility

Spaces at the Early Learning Center include:

• Infant room
• Toddler room
• Preschool
• Studio
• Playroom
• Playground

The campus of Hampshire College is also available to the children for exploration. Children and their teachers frequent the community gardens, hiking trails through woods, farm center, art galleries, theaters, and athletic fields.

The children also visit our neighbors at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for story times and creative endeavors in the studio and take adventures over to the Yiddish Book Center on our campus.