The Early Learning Center is open for business!  Today 64 families dropped off their kiddos for another exciting year of learning and development.   In August of 2022 Steepletown took over the management of the Early Learning Center (ELC), which is a preschool that houses two GSRP Classrooms for 4 year-olds and two classrooms for 3 year-olds.   Over the past couple weeks the teachers have been busy with Home Visits to meet the families, set up their classrooms, do lesson plans, and in general make sure all was ready for Day One, which is today (September 5th)! 

I am grateful that Jen Barlage has returned to the ELC as the Center Director.  She is attending GVSU where she is finishing up her MA of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in early childhood.  Jen has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education and brings an amazing amount of understanding and love for this work.  She will be coaching and guiding an incredible group of teachers, two who have been here since the ELC opened back in 2013.  

The ELC also welcomes three more apprentices to the team this year, joining three others who have returned from last year to complete their coursework and 2,000 hours of On-the-Job Learning.    Abi actually completed the Child Development Associations (CDA) credential in June and has been hired as a Teacher’s Assistant. Martha and Ernestine will likely be finished with this credential in December.  They also all need to finish the 2,000 hours in a classroom to earn their Certificates of Completion from the Department of Labor, which they should finish by mid-year.