FAQ

How does tuition payment work?

You can choose to pay in monthly increments, once per semester, or one full payment due in October. You will sign a tuition contract upon enrollment.

Where do I park?

There is plenty of off-street parking around our building. Parents are also permitted to park across the street in the OWU library parking lot.

When does the school year begin and end?

We follow the OWU calendar with the exception of snow days, when we follow Delaware City Schools (although we do not have two-hour delays). The school year for children begins the week of Labor Day and ends during the beginning of May.

Does my child need to be potty trained at registration time?

No, we realize there is a lot of time between now and fall. Once we get close to our start day, your child should be mostly potty trained. Our policy states, “No child can attend school wearing a diaper or pull up.” Sometimes the last step for your child might be coming to school and seeing other children use our child-sized bathrooms. We understand sometimes children have occasional accidents and we are prepared with extra clothes in children’s restrooms. We never make a child feel ashamed about an accident and treat it in a very casual manner.

Is the building secure?

Our front door stays open during the 15-minute window of drop off and pick up only. For the remainder of the school day, the front door stays locked. The back door is always locked. We practice emergency drills and staff is trained for emergency situations.

Are parents able to volunteer in the classrooms?

As a parent, you are invited to observe, volunteer, or chair/participate on a committee. We invite you into the classroom to share your passions, family celebrations, a favorite recipe, or your vocation with our children. We have many parent committees you may join if you wish.

Will this program prepare my child for Kindergarten?

We go beyond preparing children for Kindergarten, by helping them to prepare for life. With the adoption of the new Common Core standards in elementary, children need to be able to think critically and problem solve vs. merely memorize facts. Our activities and project approach based curriculum allows children to deeply investigate a topic of interest. Children are given opportunities to problem solve, practice self-help skills, and negotiate social conflicts.

Do you teach letters by “Letter of the Week”/worksheets?

Research is clear teaching children using these strategies is not the best way for children to learn literacy/other concepts. Teaching a “Letter of the Week” is too slow and too boring for children! Focusing on letters and sounds in isolation makes it difficult for students to understand and apply letter-sound knowledge to real reading and writing.

At the ECC, children are exposed to letters/writing/literacy every day in ways that are meaningful to them. Children are taught letters by integration not isolation. Children learn best this way.

Children are encouraged to write their own name on art work/projects. Each classroom is equipped with a writing center where children can see classmate’s names and other important words such as, mom and dad.

Guided exploration offers many opportunities for writing. For example, clip boards/pencils might be in the block area for making construction plans and paper/markers for writing recipes, orders, etc. are found in the home living area.

Children are exposed to letters during read aloud, alphabet charts, games, magnetic letters, and other hands-on activities.

We meet children where they are and get them to the next step in their literacy development in a way that keeps their self-esteem high. Whether it is learning to write their name, or helping them hear sounds/spell words, we build on their individual interests and successes.