Maria Franco

Director of Early Childhood Education

Maria Franco oversees CRT’s Early Care and Education Services, including three centers in Hartford dedicated to providing high-quality education services for children, ranging from infants to toddlers and preschoolers.  These centers serve over 200 children and their families.  With a career spanning thirty-five years, Maria is passionate about preparing children for kindergarten and beyond, all while ensuring compliance with state funding and accreditation requirements.

Maria has a long-standing history with CRT, having previously worked for ten years in the ECE Department where she oversaw the operation of five licensed and accredited centers and was instrumental in our school readiness programs, including Early Head Start and Head Start.  Prior to rejoining CRT Maria advanced her career to become an Early Head Start Director.

Maria holds an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Capital Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from University of Lima, Peru, and a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management Early Care and Education from Central Connecticut State University School of Business.  She is also an active member of the Learning Program from the ECE lab in CCSU and has been the facilitator for the Early Head Start Collaboration Group for five years.