Our Philosophy

We believe that children are best served and educated in environments that are supportive, nurturing, and safe.  Children thrive in environments that provide:
  • A sense of community
  • A strong connection between family and school
  • The recognition that the rate of development varies dramatically from one child to another
  • Positive social interactions among all individuals within a community
  • Opportunities to develop and celebrate everyone's cultural heritage
  • Child-centered and active learning opportunities
  • Age and developmentally appropriate curriculum
  • A recognition of the importance of imaginative play
  • Ample opportunities for early literacy development 
  • Frequent involvement in creative arts
We especially acknowledge the many positive benefits that result from recognizing and celebrating human diversity. With a culturally competent staff and curriculum, we believe that all children can gain a respectful disposition toward human similarities an differences.

Our Curriculum

The educational foundation of the EELC curriculum is based on the principles of developmentally-appropriate practices.  Teachers individualize instruction while providing activities to enhance language development, cognitive, physical, social, and self-help skills. Our curriculum includes several critical components.
  •  Creative Curriculum – A framework that is rooted in the developmental theories of Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget. The classrooms are arranged in interest centers to promote independence and creativity, and to foster decision making skills. The curriculum includes 38 objectives for development and learning in the areas of language, cognitive,physical and social-emotional development, math, science, literacy, art and music.
  •  Units of Study – Teachers prepare lessons to complete in-depth studies of a broad variety of topics.
  •  Teaching Strategies Gold – Each child’s development is continually assessed to determine their level of development for each of the 38 objectives in the Creative Curriculum. Lessons are prepared based on the strengths and needs of each student. A report is provided to parents twice a year.
  •  The Ages and Stages Questionnaire is distributed to parents each year to assess their own child’s development.
  •  The Virginia Language and Literacy Screener is administered to all four-year-olds.

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