Curriculum
At EECC, we use The Creative Curriculum from Teaching Strategies to help children master Indiana’s Early Learning Foundations. The Creative Curriculum is a playful centers-based experience for children and their peers that creates a deep classroom community for learning and growth.
EECC is a Paths to Quality Level 4 preschool. This is the highest national ranking a program can get! Our preschool has demonstrated a commitment to the highest level of professionalism in high quality child care! This means that in addition to meeting and exceeding all state health and safety requirements, our staff meets high levels of education standards and employs a recognized curriculum (The Creative Curriculum) to meet Indiana’s Early Learning Standards, the learning objectives preschoolers meet to be prepared for kindergarten success. Because of our high quality rating, we are also able to accept tuition vouchers for qualifying four-year-old students through On My Way Pre-K.
We know that a whole-child approach to education, where children develop not only math and literacy skills but also social-emotional, physical, and cognitive skills, is developmentally appropriate and better prepares children for life well beyond their time in a classroom. We provide our children opportunities to play and learn in community with peers and loving adults, where they build friendships, explore their interests, and take creative risks in a safe environment.
While each classroom varies in its time spent at school (half day/full day, two/three/five days a week), some elements of our schedule are consistent for each class.
- Centers: Students participate in a wide variety of play-based classroom centers, including but not limited to centers for block play, dramatic and dress-up play, toys and games, art, sand and water, library, 5 discovery and science, music and movement, cooking, technology, and outdoor play.
- Circle Time: Students form community in their classroom circles, a time to celebrate each other, hear stories, and share experiences.
- Rest: For full-day students, a rest time is provided. Some students sleep during this time, while others engage in restful activities like listening to stories or other calming exercises.
- Snack (and Lunch for Full-Day Students): This is a time for students to sit together and nourish their bodies. In addition, it is part of the way we build community and conversation in our classrooms. Current classroom snack policies are available by contacting your student’s teacher or the preschool director.
- Outdoor/Gross Motor Play: Each day, students have multiple opportunities for gross motor play, outdoors when possible and indoors if not. We will be outdoors when the temperature/wind chill is twenty degrees or higher. We also might go outdoors in mildly inclement conditions (light rain, snow, etc.). Please dress your child appropriately for the weather each day.