Supporting Norfolk’s Children

Text By Jude Mead
Photo By Bailee Robinson

When your work brings joy and you share a commitment to children, a decade can pass quickly, as Kailyn Nadeau and Paige Corey have discovered since opening the Norfolk Early Learning Center (NELC) in 2013.

Nadeau grew up in Norfolk. She babysat, cared for children in the church nursery on Sundays and taught swimming at Tobey Pond. “When I went away to school, my professors in early childhood education inspired me and motivated me to make a difference in this field. My college has an incredible lab school where I did my student teaching. This environment made me realize I wanted to work with younger children and their families,” said Nadeau. 

Corey, too, was drawn to children, but it was her experience of attending a high-quality childcare center that provided inspiration. “I went to the Winsted Area Child Care Center as a child and have many core memories from that time, especially the passionate teachers. I remember Ayreslea Denny’s smile as she sang to us in her reassuring voice,” said Corey.

Nadeau and Corey conceived of NELC while working at a large childcare facility. They enjoyed their jobs, but over the years their responsibilities changed. “We had both gone from classroom teachers to administrators at a young age and found ourselves working in an office with more of our focus on supervising adults rather than being hands-on and teaching. We were new mothers ourselves at that time, and life just felt crazy and overwhelming,” said Nadeau. 

Both missed teaching and needed to simplify, so they discussed branching out on their own. After discovering that the building on Laurel Way was empty, they met with Lynn and Tim Deasy, and, in Corey’s words, “the stars just aligned.” With the location, a strong business plan and a commitment to offering high quality programs, everything fell into place.

“We had the same philosophies in terms of caring for children,” said Corey. “That means taking the time to really know each child who comes through the door and adjusting our teaching strategies to accommodate everyone. We both believe in partnering with families to make the transition from home to school an easy one.” 

The program grew slowly, but as word got out and more children enrolled, Nadeau and Corey added staff and were at full capacity in a few years. “We really knew we hit it big when we told my dad he could stop bringing our garbage to the dump every week because we were getting a dumpster,” said Nadeau. 

Nadeau and Corey offer full-time and part-time care for children. For infants and toddlers, that means a daily schedule focused on the whole child with sensory play, music and movement, art and early literacy. At age three, children are eligible for preschool with a daily circle, math and science activities, free play and creative expression.  

NELC also offers an alternate hourly care for the Botelle School pre-K program, part-time nursery school and before and after school care and activities during school vacations and snow days. Summer brings the Norfolk Navigators Day Camp for kindergarten through six graders with field trips, swimming excursions, nature hikes and walks around town.

Covid changed everything for a time. After a six-week closure, NELC reopened with new procedures and regular monitoring. “Teaching preschoolers to wear masks was a daily challenge,” said Corey.

Today, NELC has a waiting list. It is licensed for 32 children but serves a total of 40 through part-time programming. “If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that life can change at the drop of a hat,” said Corey.

NELC has succeeded because of the solid vision that Nadeau and Corey articulated, and their connections to the community continue to grow. Nadeau now serves on Gov. Ned Lamont’s Blue-Ribbon Panel for Child Care, which is charged with looking at inequities in early childhood programs and teacher compensation and will produce a five-year strategic plan for Connecticut. 

 “We are incredibly grateful to be here,” said Corey. “We thank everyone in Norfolk and the surrounding areas for letting us play a role in raising their children. We love watching them grow up and can’t think of a better way to spend our days.”