Building Communities from DAY ONE

Founded in 2019 in Poughkeepsie, New York, DAY ONE emerged from a simple, but powerful belief: when teachers, parents, and children all thrive together, entire communities get stronger.

We listened to parents and caregivers who couldn’t find care they could afford or trust—who were forced to choose between working and being with their children.

We listened to community members who wanted to work with young children but couldn’t afford college or didn’t see a pathway forward.

We listened to business and community leaders who watched talented families leave the area because quality, affordable early learning simply wasn’t an option.

Out of these conversations, we built something new: the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway, or DAY ONE TAP, which trains local individuals to be early childhood educators and even own an early learning and care program.

Today, we operate our flagship teaching and learning center in Poughkeepsie and partner with communities across New York to grow our model, including groundbreaking public-private partnerships like The NEST at Young Street project, which will bring 24-hour child care to families who work non-traditional hours.

We’re proving that when you invest in early educators first and from within the community, everything else gets easier: more quality early learning, better workforce outcomes, stronger communities. What started in Poughkeepsie is becoming a blueprint for communities ready to build their own locally powered solutions.