President’s Message
Meet Our President Daryl S. Davis
Hello and welcome to our Friends of Crown Heights family.
At Friends of Crown Heights, our mission is to ensure that all children develop the necessary foundations for lifelong learning, self-confidence, creativity and social-emotional growth. We offer a richly multicultural learning environment that respects and values the diverse experiences and heritage of the communities we serve. Our vision also promotes the foundational role of parents and families as the primary caregivers, teachers and advocates in your children’s lives.
At Friends, we know that your child is the most important person in your life. We know that your child deserves only the best that the world has to offer. And that’s what we aim to provide each day to every child in our care: a safe, nurturing and emotionally supportive educational environment that enables your child to achieve his or her highest potential. Our professionally licensed and certified teachers and providers work with your child in both individual and group settings to facilitate their age-appropriate development of language, literacy, cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills needed to excel in the future.
In addition to our child-care and early education programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and young children of all ages, The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers Inc., is also an experienced provider of comprehensive family services and an active participant in the public life of the communities we serve. We believe that securing the brightest possible future for our children is a collective responsibility and we welcome the opportunity to partner in this effort with the countless families and friends who have embraced us over the years.
Come visit us soon and see for yourself what the future of safe, affordable child care and early childhood education looks like. For decades, we have set the standard by which others are measured and we’re proud to keep on leading the way in raising tomorrow’s leaders, today.
Thank you, and hoping to see you soon…
In Partnership,
Daryl S. Davis
President/CEO
About Daryl S. Davis
Daryl Davis is the acting President & Chief Executive Officer of The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH). He brings to this position more than 40 years of continuous and progressively responsible experience and expertise in Early Childhood Programming, Training and Implementation, Operations Management and Policy Development. His appointment in September, 2023 followed nearly a decade of distinguished service as Executive Director of the agency, in which capacity he held oversight responsibility for all aspects of program management, regulatory compliance, educational policy, curriculum development and implementation at its 21 City-contracted Early Childhood Education programs.
Mr. Davis is a career Early Childhood Education specialist. In addition to his expansive experience as a classroom teacher, supervisor and Educational Director, he has also worked extensively in the field of Early Childhood Professional Training. He is a former Early Childhood Training Services Specialist at the State University of New York (SUNY) Research Foundation, where he was instrumental in developing and implementing a statewide training initiative for Early Childhood Centers and Family Day Care Providers across New York State. He is also a former Adjunct Instructor with the New York University Extension Division, where he was responsible for training future teachers and parents in the most effective approaches to educating children between the ages of Birth to 7 years old. Additionally, Mr. Davis has served on numerous professional committees and advisory boards including the New York City Department of Education’s Universal Pre-K Advisory Committee.
Daryl Davis holds the Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Music from Oberlin College in Ohio, and the Master of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY). He is a member of the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Black Child Development Institute and the American Association of Training and Development.
In addition to his expertise as a professional educator, Mr. Davis also holds the Professional Diploma in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and is a noted artist in the operatic theater, having performed with major orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. He made his New York City opera debut in 2003 in the opera X, The Life and Times of Malcolm, and has performed with the Boston symphonies, Houston symphonies and at La Fenice in Venice.