Mission Statement

Flance Early Learning Center provides excellence by nurturing and educating young children, supporting families and strengthening community.

Impact

Since its inception in 2014, Flance Early Learning Center has become a trusted resource for low-income parents who seek quality care, education, and health services for their infants and young children. Founded to improve at-risk children’s social and academic trajectory in one of the most distressed zip codes in Missouri (63106), Flance is accredited and licensed to serve children ages 6 weeks to 6 years.

Year after year, 100% of Flance’s matriculating preschoolers are considered kindergarten ready by industry-standard assessment measures. The organization’s track record has generated recognition from funders and families, and Flance is the recipient of numerous awards from a variety of organizations, including the US Department of Education, Missouri Green Schools and Focus St. Louis.

Flance Early Learning Center has expanded its award-winning early education program to include significant emotional and mental health support and other services for children served by Flance and their parents/guardians. PITCH (Parents If Talking Can Help) is a multifaceted program offering therapeutic services and parent education and engagement activities that improve outcomes for children and families.

Over 70% of the children and families served at Flance are very low-income and experience firsthand the negative impacts of generational poverty, neighborhood violence, and other traumatic experiences. PITCH provides programs and methods to identify child/family mental health challenges better and initiate culturally relevant and trauma-informed early intervention by creating individualized behavioral and mental health plans to address concerns. Because Flance staff have daily contact with parents, the ECE environment provides an ideal opportunity to identify challenges and mitigate the impact of poverty, lack of access to services, and limited social support.

Dana Brown Charitable Trust’s impact through the years has been significant. Most recently, DBCT has awarded a grant to support the PITCH program. The overall goal of PITCH is to interrupt the cycle of trauma-induced psychological damage, resulting in healthier and happier children and parents by implementing:

1. Mental and emotional health programming and interventions for children
2. Parent training, support, education, coaching, and counseling
3. Professional development and support for staff

Flance has a successful track record of partnering with social service organizations and includes both preventive educational activities and therapeutic interventions in its programming. Flance coordinates internal and external services for children, parents, and families needing support.