BrightPath Mansfield Child Care Center

"High-quality center with an impressive staff and director team.  The center is always clean, and I know the children are safe and well-loved!" - Amber S

Welcome to BrightPath Mansfield Early Learning & Child Care, a NAEYC-Accredited child care center conveniently located in the heart of Storrs Center, near UConn and E.O. Smith High School. Formerly known as Educational Playcare Storrs, our beautifully designed and spacious facility offers exceptional daycare, preschool, pre-k, and school-age programs for families living or working in Mansfield and the surrounding communities.

Families visiting BrightPath Mansfield are immediately drawn to our stunning building, featuring an impressive entrance and lobby area. Our classrooms are spacious, bright, and thoughtfully arranged, creating engaging environments tailored to support children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Our location offers convenient parking directly

Center Programs

Our age-specific programs provide enriching experiences tailored to each stage of early development. Click on the program below to learn more information.

Hear From Our Families

Our families know us best. Hear directly from them about what makes BrightPath Early Learning & Child Care a place where their children thrive.

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Please provide us with a few details about yourself to receive more information on availability and rates.

Center Offerings

CT Care for Kids
Yoga
Healthy Meals & Snacks
Dance & Movement
Music
Qualified Educators
Transitional Kindergarten
Military Discount

Our center proudly accepts CT Care for Kids. Our Center Director can provide more information regarding financial assistance and they can assist you with the process as well.

Our Yoga program enriches our preschool curriculum, fostering young minds and bodies for lifelong mental and physical well-being through fun, themed sessions.

All our centers are completely nut-free, and we work with families with children who have other food sensitivities and allergies to ensure their safety and well-being.

Our dance programs blend solid technique with fun and creative choreography, fostering both technical skill and expressive, individualistic style in our little ones.

Our music program offers a researched, systematic approach to nurturing children's social skills and musical development, including singing in tune and rhythmic coordination.

Our Educators are passionate about delivering early years education that empowers and inspires children to create their futures.

Our transitional program preps children for kindergarten with enhanced activities aligned with Connecticut's KEI, focusing on language, literacy, numeracy, and social skills.

We're proud to offer a standard 10% U.S. military discount for families in active duty as our way of saying thank you for your service!

Upcoming Events for Families

Celebrate BrightPath Mansfield with a day of Music and Fun!

Join BrightPath Mansfield for a day of music and fun on Friday, August 15! New and current families are invited to explore our center, meet our staff, and enjoy a musical performance by musician Matt Vizzo starting at 5:00 p.m. We’ll also have pizza for families to enjoy!

Take a tour during our event and you’ll also be entered to win a free year of child care during our Birthday Bonus Bash campaign!

📅 Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
 Time: 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
📍 Location: BrightPath Mansfield - 28 Wilbur Cross Way Mansfield, CT 06269

We can’t wait to see you there!

Click to RSVP!

Center Director

Before joining BrightPath, Catherine Schaefer worked as the Director of another childcare center. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University and she also has a CDA.

Catherine has been in the field of early childhood educational since 1999. She started her career as a preschool teacher and worked her way through different management roles to the position of Director. Catherine loves playing with the children and getting to know each family. She considers

Portrait of the BrightPath Mansfield  Director
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Award-Winning Culture

We’re proud to be recognized as a 2025 Winner for the Culture at Work Award and the 2024 Winner of the Kudos Culture Leader Award. We strive every day to provide top-level support to our staff at over 250 daycare locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Kudos Award

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Virtual Tours:

If you would prefer a virtual tour, please call us to schedule one.

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