OUR MISSION
Think Big Children's Project provides social and emotional well-being support and access to quality early learning opportunities that nurture children and assist their families in engaging in their healthy development in a safe and stable environment.
CONTACT US
Call Us:
(412) 213-8446
Email Us:
thinkbigchildrenproject@gmail.com
Find Us:
7555 Saltsburg Rd,
Pittsburgh PA 15235
VISIT US
OUR HISTORY
Think Big Children’s Project grew out of a dedicated neighbor’s best hopes for the children and parents in her surrounding community. Allene Thomas started helping out her working neighbors by caring for their small children in her home in 1992 and in 2000 had completed training with the support of Hosanna House to open Thomas Home Childcare in Wilkinsburg, a fully certified home-based childcare operation. She knew that working parents needed access to reliable and safe childcare and the support of other caring adults to ensure the healthy emotional and social development of their families. Her sisters Deitra and Jackie joined her in working at Thomas Home Childcare and together they grew the facility into a 4-Keystone Star operation accredited by the Pennsylvania department of Education.
In 2015 Valisa Thomas joined her mother in the family business and in 2017 grew the home childcare facility into Thomas Childcare and Learning Academy, a site-based center in Penn Hills. The center expansion included access to PA certified Early Childhood Education Programs, Head Start, and Early Head Start. Valisa also integrated After-School and Extracurricular Activities, Mentoring and Tutoring, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs, and Parent and Family Engagement programs. She began to see a need for supplemental programming beyond these integrations that would realize her mother’s initial vision for supporting her neighbors in rearing healthy, successful children.
The need for supplemental programs led Valisa to found the Think Big Children’s Project toward closing the gap for children by offering social, emotional, and developmental support. Think Big Children’s Project was created to go a step further for Monroeville, East End, Plum, and Wilkinsburg children. Our programs maximize the benefits of arts, culture and craft to support well being and academic success starting with very young children.