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Phone: 724-458-2600
Email: MunsonJK@gcc.edu
Location: Staley Hall of Arts & Letters

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Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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  • Early Education Center

    Early Education Center

    The Early Education Center is an on-campus pre-school 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, and 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 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

    EEC-02.jpg

    The Early Education Center is play-based and uses developmentally appropriate activities to encourage learning. Learning activities occur in large, small, and individual settings. Our director and teachers develop activities and lessons based on our mission, program objectives, standards, and each child's needs. 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. 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- 4th 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.

    Office Directory

    Elizabeth J. Rupnik

    Elizabeth J. Rupnik

    Guest Lecturer in Education, Early Education Center Teacher
    All FacultyEducationAll StaffEarly Education Center
    View Profile
    Jolene K. Munson

    Jolene K. Munson

    Director of the Early Education Center, Assistant Professor of Education
    All FacultyEducationAll StaffEarly Education Center
    View Profile

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