Building bright futures.
One room at a time.
Every child deserves to attend a high-quality early childhood program in a high-quality facility.
Cleveland Early Learning Spaces is a PRE4CLE initiative focused on ensuring that every child can attend a high-quality early learning program in a high-quality facility. The program offers community-based child care and preschool providers grants and other financial supports, professional development, and technical assistance to complete facility renovations using best practices that support the health, safety, learning, and development of young children. As a second phase of this work, we aim to build new high-quality preschools in under-served Cleveland neighborhoods.
High-Quality Early Learning Spaces
Studies show that quality early learning spaces have a profound positive impact on students, including improved student productivity, academic performance, and behavior. Facilities also contribute indirectly to student success by improving job satisfaction for teachers and administrators.
Environmental Health & Safety
- Room temperature and air quality
- Ventilation
- Reduced noise
- Free of asbestos, lead, and other toxins
Organization & Layout
- Reduced clutter
- Efficient and safe layouts
- Fixtures at children’s height
Interior Finishes & Design
- Quality lighting and natural light
- Neutral colors
- Design that brings in elements of nature
Gross Motor & Outdoor Play Space
- Playgrounds, outdoor classrooms, and green spaces
- Indoor and outdoor play spaces
Our First Projects
Cleveland Early Learning Spaces will support early childhood providers in need of facilities improvements by providing:
- Grants and facilitating additional funding opportunities for providers to implement facilities improvements.
- Technical assistance, staffing, and support to ECE providers to manage construction projects.
- Professional development that empowers early learning program operators to design and maintain safe and enriching early learning facilities.
PRE4CLE is launching the first cohort of six renovation sites in the fall of 2021, with the first two projects slated to be completed in early 2022.
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Would you like to be considered for renovations?
PRE4CLE Preschools can apply for a future Early Learning Spaces cohort. Fill out this form to let us know if you’re interested.
Would you like to be considered as a contractor for renovations?
Early Learning Spaces offers contractors an exciting opportunity to work with early childhood education providers on a community-driven impact project.
We are seeking general contractors/construction managers and contractors in the following trades:
Carpentry | Electrical | HVAC | Plumbing | Roofing
If you are interested in learning more about Early Learning Spaces, complete this form. We encourage MBE, WBE, and DBE firms to reach out.
Program Funders
The first Cleveland Early Learning Spaces cohort is generously funded through a $1 million grant from The George Gund Foundation and a matching $1 million donation from Gordon and Llura Gund.
In the federal budget passed and signed in December 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development earmarked $1.29m in funding for the next cohort of Cleveland Early Learning Spaces providers. This funding will benefit up to six early learning sites throughout Cleveland, making those spaces more welcoming and enriching places to learn and grow.
PRE4CLE is seeking additional philanthropic funding as well as public resources at the local, state, and federal levels to fund Early Learning Spaces fully. PRE4CLE also works with local banks to seek grant and loan opportunities through Community Reinvestment Act Funding.
