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Caring About Kids: DeMaio Supports ‘Week of the Young Child’ in Branford

As someone who has the joy of working with so many young Branford children, Pam DeMaio is one enthusiastic supporter of the Week of the Young Child (WOYC). This year’s WOYC culminates in a free, fun, and educational Early Childhood Fair and Family Day on Sunday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Branford Community House, 46 Church Street.

Pam is Branford Public Schools’ (BPS) Family Resource Center (FRC) and School-Aged Child Care (SACC) program coordinator. As such, she regularly engages with educators, staff, families, and kids to help provide the best possible experiences and outcomes within these two important programs.

SACC, an umbrella FRC program, currently assists 200 families by providing before-and-after-school care at Branford’s three elementary schools.

Located in Indian Neck School, FRC’s preschool program assists Branford’s youngest learners. There are currently 20 families assisted by FRC. FRC also introduced a new pre-K wrap-around program this year.

Pam says she loves that WOYC promotes reading and literacy for Branford’s youngest learners because reading is a “huge component” in the FRC classroom.

“In the classroom, the kids are read to constantly; we talk about books constantly. We invite families in to read. We have guest readers come in. So reading is the key.”

Celebrated around the country during the month of April, WOYC is a National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) program. In Branford, WOYC is a collaborative effort among several organizations, including the much-appreciated legwork of Branford Early Learning Center (BELC) director Dianne Pappacoda, notes Pam.

This year, Pappacoda helped secure hundreds of free copies of The Caring Me I Want to Be by author Mary DiPalermo and illustrator Emma Randall (Scholastic, 2018). All of the books are distributed to area children and their families through their early learning or childcare providers.

The story helps teach kids about “...who we are, and how to be caring, how to have empathy, how to listen. It’s a beautiful book,” says Pam.

Working with additional collaborative partners, including Branford Parks and Recreation, helped build up the Early Childhood Fair and Family Day program.

“Branford Parks and Rec is wonderful. They do a lot for our communities and our families,” Pam says.

The April 23 event aims to draw families of young children, future families of young children, young kids, and community members together with over 20 shoreline childcare and early education providers. It kicks off with a pancake breakfast (9 to 10 a.m.) and offers music and dance, children’s activities, and books for all kids.

“They’ll be experiencing everything child care and everything preschool,” says Pam. “It’s going to be a great day for our youngest learners and hopefully will give families a lot of information, like what to expect when their kids go to pre-K, or about the different pre-K’s that are in town. There are many different, quality programs that will be there—Family Resource Center will be there, Branford Early Learning Center will be there, and many others. We’ll all be giving out information on how we can help families, especially now, with people trying to get back to work and our youngest children needing quality care.”

A Branford resident of 30 years, Pam joined the FRC/SACC office part-time in 2018 before going on to become the full-time program coordinator. Amanda Evans, a former FRC educator now with another school system, worked closely with Pam for five years. Evans says Pam is the glue that’s bonded the success of FRC/SACC programs during recent times of transition and the pandemic.

“Pam has shepherded these programs through multiple transitions with dedication, persistence, and a fierce commitment to doing right by Branford’s children and their families. She has grown into a fundamental and exceptional leader for the FRC during times of great crisis, taking on and mastering each and every task and duty that have fallen onto her shoulders,” says Evans. “She is the heart and soul of the Family Resource Center and School-Aged Child Care and a woman of deep worth. Her co-workers couldn’t be more grateful for all that she does.”

Pam and her husband, David, raised their three boys in Branford. As a parent of BPS students, Pam became involved as a volunteer, including serving several years as president of Murphy Elementary School’s PTA.

“My sons have all grown up and kind of inherited that love for school and education,” Pam says. “Now, they’re all in an educational setting.”

Michael, 28, is a teacher in New Haven; Dylan, 25, is a teacher at the Grove School in Madison; and Benjamin, 22, is at BELC.

“So it’s a very educational type of family,” Pam says. “We talk about children constantly.”

Working with children and their families is a dream job for Pam.

“I come to work every day because I love it, and I love our families,” she says. “I do this all because I really love the kids and the families.”