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

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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

Infant (6 Weeks - 18 Months)

Our infant program provides a warm, nurturing environment where caregivers form close bonds with babies, ensuring a secure and trusting relationship. Each infant follows their own schedule, with individualized care routines for feeding, sleeping, and play. Our educators support early development through sensory exploration, attachment-based play, and language-rich interactions, including the introduction of basic American Sign Language (ASL).

Key Focus Areas:

Building secure attachments with primary caregivers
Encouraging free exploration and movement
Facilitating play that supports sensory and cognitive development
Respecting each infant’s natural rhythms and routines

Toddler (18 Months - 3 Years)

Toddlers are naturally curious, energetic, and eager to explore. Our toddler program fosters independence while encouraging language development and social-emotional growth. Through hands-on activities, play-based learning, and structured routines, toddlers gain foundational skills for future learning.

Key Focus Areas:

Supporting independence (self-feeding, dressing, potty training)
Expanding language and communication through ASL and verbal expression
Encouraging social-emotional growth through cooperative play
Sensory experiences, music, and movement to enhance cognitive development

Preschool (3-4 Years)

Preschoolers are eager learners, exploring their world with curiosity and excitement. Our preschool program builds upon their natural interests, incorporating early literacy, math, science, and creative expression into their daily routines. Play-based learning helps children develop problem-solving skills, creativity, and social connections.

Key Focus Areas:

Developing early literacy and numeracy skills
Encouraging creative expression through art, music, and dramatic play
Building independence and confidence in learning
Enhancing social and problem-solving skills through group activities

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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!

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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

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.