Our Story

Our Preschool

We opened our doors to the Emily Meschter Early Learning Center in the 2000-2001 school year and we are now the proud educators of 190 energetic and eager-to-learn preschoolers. We have a lot of fun playing and learning and invite you to join us in our classroom any time you’d like. As we work together our children will know they are important and have the potential to achieve great things.

Our Hours

Monday - Thursday

Morning Session
     Afternoon Session
    
8:30-11:30   12:30-3:30 
 

Tips for Parents

We applaud you--parents and guardians--for using the many “teaching moments” throughout the day. Here are a few tips to help you with your most important job. 

Early Childhood Guiding Principles
  • Each child progresses at a unique rate, has an individual learning style, and possesses diverse abilities.
  • Young children learn through active exploration of their environment where there is a balance between self-discovery and adult initiated/selected activities.
  • A child’s learning is based on prior knowledge and experiences that are constructed through play, social interactions with other children, and consistent experiences guided by nurturing adults.
  • Optimal learning occurs in environments where the adult is respectful of the child, the family, the language, the culture, and the community.
  • A child’s progress is best understood through observable behavioral change using ongoing observation, anecdotal recordkeeping, and collection of the child’s work.
  • Children develop a sense of empowerment by having many opportunities to make choices within their daily routines.
  • Children learn best when their health and nutritional needs are met.
  • Families are the primary caregivers and educators of young children.
  • Young children are capable and competent regardless of their backgrounds, their experiences and their varying abilities.

Our Philosophy

We are committed to the education of the whole child. This means we don’t just teach the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. In addition to focusing on those essential skills, we provide activities that are developmentally appropriate in a stimulating, challenging, and creative environment. During the first few years of a child’s life the brain is growing and developing at an amazing rate. We will expose your child to a variety of quality experiences that are crucial to his development.

Since a child’s work is play, we have designed ELC’s “hands-on” approach to learning to foster creativity and expanded self-expression. Emily Meschter Early Learning Center teachers show respect for children by encouraging them to think for themselves, make decisions, and resolve their problems independently, as well as express their own ideas and feelings.

We also strongly believe that families are vital to a child’s development. So we encourage you to participate in various preschool activities including celebrations, caregiver-child evening events, and volunteering in/out of the classroom. Your positive attitude toward your child, his/her education, and school will carry over to your child’s attitude toward him/herself and school.


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Monthly vision, hearing, speech, and other developmental screening offered from children ages 2 yrs 9 mos - 5 yrs.