Early Education Center

The Early Education Center is a program of excellence for young children and their families, featuring:

Quality, interactive learning experiences led by certified teachers in connection with Grove City College education majors, encouraging the social, emotional, spiritual, physical, and intellectual growth of every child.
Developmentally appropriate, research-based, best practice instruction that includes independent, small group, and large group activities to encourage creativity, problem-solving, and independent and collaborative thinking.
Limited class size to ensure a welcoming learning environment.
Low child-to-adult ratio to promote individualized attention for each child.
Inclusive environment for children and adults.
Values Foundation: Respect, responsibility, peace, love.

Pre-School Program

The EEC consists of three classes during the week:

3-year-old Class	3/4/5-year-old Class Session	4/5-year-old Class Session
Tuesday/Thursday 8:30 – 11 a.m.	Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:30 – 3 p.m.	Monday/Wednesday/Friday 8:30 – 11 a.m.
This class is designed to introduce children to the classroom as a community setting for young children. There is a strong emphasis on socialization and basic skill development. *Children must be toilet-trained to enroll and 3 years old by Sept. 1.	This class is designed to emphasize socialization, develop and strengthen basic skills, and apply these skills to hands-on learning activities and problem-solving. *Children must be toilet-trained to enroll and 3 years old by Sept. 1.	This class is specifically designed for children the year before they will attend kindergarten to strengthen basic skills and apply these skills to hands-on learning activities and problem-solving.

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year will begin in winter 2024.

Program Features

The Early Education Center is play-based and uses developmentally appropriate activities to encourage learning. Learning activities occur in large, small, and individual setting. Our director and teachers develop activities and lessons based on our mission, program objectives, standards, and each child. These activities are designed to help children grow within their environment and make independent decisions while learning.

Center time is an important part of our day that allows students to develop skills based on his/her interests and skills. Each center contains materials that promote skill development, socialization, real world connections, and foster inquiry. Our centers include the following:

Art
Blocks
Dramatic Play
Large Motor
Library/Reading/Listening
Math/Science
Table toys/Concept Development
Woodworking
Sensory table/Discovery
Writing

Skills that are developed include:

Social/Emotional/Spiritual
Cognitive/Language
Psychomotor

View Program Brochure

Our Philosophy

Purpose

To provide developmentally appropriate and nurturing experiences that facilitate academic and social learning, in a play-based environment.
To serve as a model for early childhood pre-service educators to actively observe and participate in a classroom environment: thus, connecting theory to practice.
To serve the college and community by reflecting values that are consistent with the mission of the college including respect, responsibility, peace, and love.
To build PreK- 4^th grade, Pre-K-8th grade and special education competencies in pre-service educators enrolled at GCC as articulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Vision

To be an exemplary early childhood program among Christian liberal arts institutions by promoting research-based and best developmental practices for the whole child and pre-service educators.

Mission

To enhance the process of learning for children, families, and pre-service educators within the framework and context of a developmentally appropriate environment.

Objectives

To encourage a love of learning within each child
To encourage positive Christian values.
To encourage respect, responsibility, peace, and love.
To encourage questions which utilize discovery and exploration to seek answers.
To encourage communication for real-life purposes: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
To encourage communication that leads to solving problems with non-violent methods.
To encourage each person to contribute to a safe and caring classroom environment through positive peer and adult interactions.
To encourage participation in a variety of learning activities that allow for development of the whole child: socially, emotionally, cognitively, physically, and spiritually.
To encourage each child to learn as an independent and collaborative thinker.