Welcome to the Carrot Patch!

Directors Nicole Miller Stevens and Suzanne Miller are a mother-daughter team who opened the first Carrot Patch Early Learning Center in 2005 to bring the best possible early childhood experience to area families. We are delighted to offer families a choice of two top-notch early learning centers where children thrive in a safe, fun, nurturing and creative environment year-round. Children, parents, and staff find a sense of community, and our passion for education and love for children informs every detail and decision.

You can learn more about our sister school by visiting their website:
Carrot Patch Early Learning Center, Hamden at www.carrotpatchkids.com

COMMUNICATION MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
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Home-school communication is key at the Carrot Patch. Since each classroom is led by a dedicated full-time teacher and supported by a consistent teaching team, there is always ample opportunity to check in with one of your child's teachers at drop-off or pick-up. All families have access to teachers and directors via Remind, an app that permits parents to text staff directly. Younger children have a "daily sheet" prepared each day with a log of all the important information parents need to track their child's day. Preschool teachers prepare occasional newsletters that discuss all the learning and fun that has taken place. Carrot Patch families, past and present, enjoy a private Facebook group providing real-time updates of the children's activities, including plenty of photos of the children in action, and a forum for information and discussion.

SUZANNE MILLER

B.A., J.D., Administrative Director

​A 1995 graduate of the Yale Law School, Suzanne has focused her talents on non-profit management and child welfare. As a former Connecticut Assistant Attorney General, she acted as an advocate for children in the New Haven area. She has also served as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, and Director of New Haven's Elm Haven/Monterey Place urban renewal project. Certainly not least among her many accomplishments has been her role as a single-mom raising two happy, well-adjusted children to productive adulthood! Suzanne still occasionally accepts appointments to represent DCF-involved children in Waterbury Juvenile Court.
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NICOLE STEVENS

B.A., M.S.W., Program Director, Shoreline Director
Ask Nicole about her dream job and she'll tell you: "Spending every day surrounded by babies and small children!" Passionate about children, she taught in a New Haven Head Start classroom, interned at the Yale Child Study Center, and worked and studied in the Wheaton College "laboratory" nursery school before co-founding the Carrot Patch. With a Master's Degree in clinical social work, and a background counseling child and adolescent clients, she brings an added dimension to our program. And she can add 'mother' to her list of credentials, as her twin teen boys--Carrot Patch alumni--keep her busy with school, sports, and lots of healthy outdoor pursuits!

JAN ROMO

(1948-2021)
​B.S., M.S., 6th Year Certification, Co-Founder and Education Consultant
One of our keys to providing the best possible learning environment for young children has been the wisdom and guidance of Janice Romo. Jan brought well over 40 years experience in education, from teaching kindergarten through teaching early childhood curriculum at Southern Connecticut State University, and every imaginable role in between involving the education of young children. As one of the Carrot Patch founders she was a tremendous asset, always available to provide her expertise to parents, staff and administration. Her wisdom and expertise are sorely missed, but her spirit lives on in all the lives she has touched.