Brandon and Jayeneca Elby welcomed their first child in 2019. Shortly thereafter, the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the lockdown, York County went from being home to 221 child care programs to only 163. Many of those that remained operated at reduced enrollment because of teacher shortages.
Both heavily involved in the family counseling field, the Elby’s struggled to find a high-quality, affordable child care center where they could enroll their child.
“The work that we had already been doing with the family counseling, working with families from all over the state of Pennsylvania, you could just see that there was a void,” Brandon says. “A recurring theme was the need for more educational stability and programming for younger ages.”
Building a bigger dream
Rather than give up, the couple decided to start their own early childhood education center in Manchester. They named it Laugh and Learn Early Development Center. As the idea began to take shape, they reached out to Community Connections for Children, which advocates for families by providing high quality early learning solutions and education. The CCC team offered invaluable information and resources as the couple began planning their center.
“We’re passionate about community, passionate about kids, and passionate about being involved in helping to shape little minds,” Jayeneca says.
Launching a 60-child early learning center was a huge undertaking, and one not quickly accomplished. In 2024, with the inception of Every Child Has Opportunities, Brandon and Jayeneca saw an opportunity to enhance their dream.
In early 2025, the Elbys became the proud recipients of a BLOOM Start-Up Child Care Forgivable Loan through ECHO, along with eight other new early learning providers. With the funds, the couple are installing state-of-the-art fire-suppression and security systems. They also plan to use the money to establish a gross-motor room to be used for the early childhood program and for before- and after-school care. They’ll also use the funds to start an outdoor learning community to include a garden and outside classroom space.
Expanding early learning throughout York County
The Elbys operate one of nine York County-based child care programs that received a BLOOM Start-Up Forgivable Loan as part of ECHO’s second round of funding. In total, child care programs received $320,000 in BLOOM forgivable loans. Additionally, 12 established early childhood education providers received over $570,000 in ECHO Innovation Grants to expand the number of families served by their programs and increase each program’s quality of education and care.
Through these grants and forgivable loans, ECHO and its partners and supporters are working toward their goal of doubling the number of affordable child care spots available in York County. ECHO also aims to increase the quality of care and education at early childhood learning centers throughout the county.
A new grant opportunity, the ECHO Professional Development Mini Grant Program, was announced in February 2025. The mini grant will allow educators in early childhood learning to apply for up to $2,000 to attend regional and national conferences and training sessions.
“The goal of this program is to build professional skills, network with peers, and increase knowledge of best practices and innovations in the field of early childhood education,” says ECHO Director Katie Caples.
For entrepreneurs ready to start an early learning endeavor and for established early child care programs that want to expand and enhance their services, a third round of funding for BLOOM Start-Up Forgivable Loans and ECHO Innovation Grants will begin in May 2025.
For more information on ECHO’s grant programs, visit www.echoyork.org/grants-and-programs.
Every Child Has Opportunities is an early childhood education initiative in York County, Pennsylvania, led by Community Connections for Children and the York County Economic Alliance. Major funding partners include J. William Warehime Foundation, Powder Mill Foundation, and WellSpan Health. Additional funding partners include Kinsley Foundation, United Way of York County, and York County Community Foundation.