Our mission is to give each child the opportunity to play and explore in a nurturing environment, while building a foundation for lifelong learning.
About Us
History
The Early Childhood Center at Memorial United Methodist Church is a non-sectarian ,non-profit school that strives to create a diverse community. As such, we welcome children of all races, religions and nationalities.
Originally founded in 1959 as a preschool for Memorial United Methodist Church congregants, the Church was specifically designed and constructed with a wing intended to house a nursery school. Though the school is no longer directly affiliated with the Church, the space remains an ideal one for young children.
For the first 31 years of the school’s history, the ECC was a mornings-only program. In response to the changing needs of our families, the school sought a New York State Daycare License in 1990, allowing us to provide full-day care to our children, although we continued to end our day at 3pm. As the needs of our families continued to grow, beginning with the 2014-2015 school year we extended our hours to operate from 8am - 5pm.
Since its founding, the school has earned the respect of families in White Plains and the surrounding communities for our commitment to excellence in early childhood education. Most of our families come to us through word-of-mouth and you’ll regularly meet children whose parents are alumni of the program!
Philosophy
As your child’s first teachers, the ECC and its faculty supports the philosophy that “play is the work of childhood.” As they play, our children become enthusiastic and engaged learners. We encourage our children to grow to their fullest potential by providing developmentally appropriate play experiences that support the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of each child.
Children will experience a blend of teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. Our classroom atmosphere is warm, nurturing and child-centered. Each child is given the opportunity to learn at their own pace and we embrace their unique personalities and learning styles, as well as strive to design a curriculum that will meet their individual needs. We support Emergent Curriculum, in which the spontaneous and immediate interests of a group can drive the curriculum topics in the classroom. These interests are often sparked during open-ended free play.
Curriculum
At the ECC, we follow the principles of The Creative Curriculum, a curriculum which is based on the latest research on how children learn best and has been shown through experimental studies to improve classroom quality and promote the school readiness of preschool children.
Our classes provide excellent opportunities for learning through play. Socialization is also a high priority and the process of learning to share, make friends and become part of a group is skillfully guided by our professional faculty. Each classroom has several activity centers designed to encourage experiences with mathematics (through block-building), science (through water play and cooking), language arts (through stories and rhymes), dramatics (through imaginative play), and fine motor development (through table-toy manipulatives, puzzles and craft projects). We provide an opportunity for gross motor play on a daily basis. We also offer additional enrichment during the school day, including yoga, music with Dawney Dew, sports with Soccer Shots, and more. Our goal is to introduce children to a love of learning that will last a lifetime.
Facility
The ECC’s ground-floor, 9,000 square foot facility, houses seven sunny and spacious classrooms. Our teachers actively create an inviting and nurturing environment in which children can thrive. Because our facility is its own entity and every child here is a preschooler, our students feel safe and secure and acquire a sense of ownership in the school. In a sense, the ECC is a microcosm of their future schools.
Playgrounds are one of the most important aspects of social interaction and positive physical development. Unless weather is inclement or temperatures are below 28 degrees, our children go outside every day. Our expansive playground offers a dynamic environment that challenges the creative imagination and physical skills of each child. The playground is inspected annually by a certified playground safety inspector. When we must remain indoors, a large indoor multi-purpose space is available as well.
Licensing and Accreditation
NY State Office of Children and Family Services Licensing
The Early Childhood Center is licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. We must renew our license with the Office of Children and Family Services every four years. During site visits, the licensor assigned to our program reviews all aspects of our program, including child health policies, staff training, infection control procedures and emergency procedures.
The ECC is also registered by the New York State Education Department.
QUALITYStarsNY
The ECC participates in QUALITYstarsNY, a voluntary quality improvement program for child care programs. Programs participating in QUALITYstarsNY are committed to improving the quality of care they provide for children, with only a few hundred programs able to take part. Participants are held to standards in various categories, including learning environment, family engagement, staff experience, and more and as a result are able to earn funding for supplies and materials, as well as professional development for faculty and staff.