New Childcare Center Fulfills Need In Stamford's Downtown Area

STAMFORD, CT — LynnAnn Zazzali still remembers the stressful feeling of searching for childcare options for her two children years ago.

Whether it was a brand name chain or a small "mom and pop" center, Zazzali could not shake the anxiety and guilt she felt about leaving her children with strangers while she went to work.

"It was very daunting," Zazzali said. "I would go to different places and just think what most parents do: how can I leave my child with a complete stranger and go to work for eight hours during the day?" (To sign up for Stamford breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

It was this experience that connected Zazzali with The Learning Experience, an early education and childcare center "where kids love to learn," according to their website.

Zazzali is the owner of The Learning Experience's new Stamford location, which opened last week in the Atlantic Station building downtown.

While the chain has a number of locations in Connecticut, and across the country, the Stamford center is the first in Connecticut to be owned by Zazzali, who also owns locations in New York and New Jersey.

It is a position she never envisioned for herself when she was working as an elementary school teacher years ago. In fact, it was upon a suggestion from her father that she decided to shift gears and open a childcare center of her own.

"At the time, I thought he was insane," Zazzali said, "because I was a teacher. I wasn't from the business world, and I had no business background. Really, how do you go about opening up a childcare center? It's a lot more than just having an idea one day and then the next day it opens."

After some research and meeting with various CEOs and administrative teams, Zazzali fell in love with The Learning Experience's focus on early literacy and the entire team's caring nature.

"I really felt like they offer something a bit different," Zazzali said, "where you feel like it's a family, not just a business. I understand that it is a business and a way to make a living, but we are taking care of people's children. They had a whole philosophy of creating a 'home away from home' and creating these long-lasting partnerships with families."

She also was drawn to the company's curriculum, which not only emphasized reading and math, but also caring about others. Each month, the center focuses on a different theme that ranges from "kindness" to "charity" or "giving," with an aim to get children thinking about the importance of these lessons and how they can contribute and help one another at a young age.

"We'll let them use their own critical thinking skills and come up with an idea," Zazzali said. "How can you, at the age of 4, help us support these children who need our help?"

As the city continues to grapple with the coronavirus, parents are not able to enter the center when they drop off their children at this time, much to Zazzali's disappointment.

"The thing we pride ourselves on," Zazzali said, "is our open door policy...These are tough times for many families. They're working from home and trying really hard to keep their families safe, so not being able to walk their child to their classroom, speak face-to-face to a teacher or kiss their child goodbye in the classroom, rather than at the front door, is a huge challenge."

To ease their minds, the center offers parents an app through which they can receive live updates and pictures of their children in class throughout the day. According to Zazzali, the app is designed to give parents and guardians peace of mind while their child is in the center's care.

"It kind of puts a smile on the parents' faces," Zazzali said. "They're working hard in their office, they can't see their baby or their preschoolers, but they'll get a little notification they can click on and there is [a picture of] their child."

According to Zazzali, the city's downtown area seemed like the perfect fit for her first Connecticut location, an area she finds to be "absolutely beautiful."

"I think more businesses are flocking [to the downtown area] because it's adorable," Zazzali said. "It's very welcoming and inviting. Everything is just well-done, from the plantings and flowers to the signage on the streets."

Stamford Chamber of Commerce president Heather Cavanagh said she was excited to welcome Zazzali and the Learning Experience team to the heart of the city's downtown area.

"The Learning Experience provides an innovative approach to day care and early childhood education," Cavanagh said. "Infants as young as 6 weeks old and toddlers...can experience and explore in this fun, interactive, educational atmosphere. It's the best place to learn, play and grow, and a great addition to our ever-expanding vibrant urban city."

Thomas Madden, the city's economic development director, agreed the center has taken up "a great spot" in downtown Stamford.

"There has been a growing need for childcare in the downtown area as more parents move into the apartment buildings [there]," Madden said. "I know that the company will do well, as it is fulfilling a need that was not previously serviced."

While businesses across the country have faced challenges in light of the coronavirus crisis, Madden said he is very optimistic about the current state of the downtown area.

"The city has seen a number of new businesses that have either opened up or plan on opening up soon," Madden said. "This points to a retail/service market that is being supported by the increase in the number of residents from the new apartment buildings that have opened up over the last couple of years."

According to Madden, about a dozen new businesses have recently opened up downtown, and several others have shifted to adapt to the coronavirus situation.

"We have only seen a few businesses close," Madden said. "That been said, we need our residents to continue to shop, dine or get take out from our small businesses. They are going to need the power of our local consumer to get them through the winter and until we can get a majority of the companies to come back to their office space."