Early Learning Center
Basic Information
Kelly Mervine, Education Director
Melinda Aghajanian, Associate Director
7250 Lancaster Pike
Hockessin, DE 19707
(302)239-3033
Program. The Early Learning Center, an outreach program of the Hockessin United Methodist Church, is accredited by the Nursery-Kindergarten Association of Delaware (NKAD), and is inspected and licensed yearly by the State of Delaware in accordance with day care regulations. A general overview of our program’s age appropriate developmental milestones is available upon request.
Sessions. The ELC is operational Monday through Friday from September to May. A list of all classes offered is available in the ELC office and under Class Offerings. Class placement is determined strictly by the child’s age.
Forms Required before Admission. The required forms for the Early Learning Center are mailed out in June to all enrolled families. Forms are due back to the preschool by August 1st.
Tuition. The ELC has instituted automatic debit for payment of your monthly tuition. Each month your tuition payment will be electronically transferred from the checking or savings account you authorize and credited to the Early Learning Center’s account at M & T Bank. Direct payment via ACH (Automated Clearing House) is a safe and convenient method for making a payment. There will be a fee accessed for insufficient funds. Please remember, monthly fees reflect an annual tuition rate divided equally among nine months. Monthly tuition rates do not fluctuate due to holidays, in-service days, or your child’s absence. (All classes meet approximately the same number of days throughout the school year.)
Withdrawals. Please notify the ELC office in writing no less than two weeks before withdrawal. No pre-paid tuition will be refunded for the month that the withdrawal takes place. If your child is absent for an extended period due to illness or other reasons, his/her place may be assured by continuing the monthly tuition payments. For extremely unusual circumstances regarding an extended absence, please speak to the ELC Directors.
Illness. Your child may return to school after 24 hours on an antibiotic or 24 hours without fever. We do not administer any medicine, including diaper ointments. In the case of colds, please don’t send a child who has any of these symptoms: mucousy nose, crankiness, listlessness, or coughing. Please inform the ELC office if your child becomes sick with any contagious illnesses such as chicken pox, pink eye, lice, etc.
Absences. Please call the office if your child will be absent. We will notify the classroom teachers. Our number is
(302) 239-3033.
School Closings and Late Openings. Please see our Snow/Emergency Procedures. We do not make up days missed due to inclement weather.
Positive Behavior Guidance. Our goal is for children to be successful members of their preschool community. The staff will communicate clear expectations to the children; model and encourage appropriate behavior; provide age-friendly classroom environments; and structure their daily schedules so that the children can work and play cooperatively. Children with inappropriate classroom behavior will be redirected, offered appropriate behavior choices, guided in their efforts to resolve conflict, encouraged to use their words, or provided a quiet opportunity to regain their self control.
Arrival & Pick Up. Please be prompt! Your child’s transition into the classroom is always easier when he/she is brought on time to participate in the activities planned for the beginning of the class day. When class is over, a teacher will only release a child to an adult designated on the release form. He/she will be required to sign your child in and out each day. Our teachers must clean up and prepare for other classes during the day, so please be prompt in picking up your child. Please call the ELC office at 239-3033 if you know you are going to be late. Your child will be waiting in the ELC office and a $7 late fee will be assessed at that time. Please use the ELC entrance at all times and not the church sanctuary entrance.
Safety. Please practice all measures of safety in the parking lot. Drive very slowly and hold your children’s hands into the building. Never leave other children in your car to run into the building. If necessary, please call the ELC office, and we will walk your child to class for you. Running in the halls or playing in empty rooms of the church is discouraged. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Clothing. Dress your child for active play. They will paint, glue, glitter, and dig in the sandbox. Good clothes may get ruined. Encourage independence by providing simple on and off clothes for ease in toilet use or training. Sneakers or other rubber soled shoes are recommended. No sandals, plastic shoes, or dress shoes are allowed. Children should keep an extra set of seasonal clothing in a zip lock bag in their ELC tote bag. Parents are required to provide diapers for those who wear diapers or pull-ups. Please send mittens and hats during cold weather, as we go outside every clear day. Label all clothing (including diapers), please!
Lunch. If your child stays for lunch, bring a lunch box labeled with your child’s name under the handle. Include a simple lunch with a sandwich, diced fruit, non-carbonated drink, and a napkin. Include a training cup and spoon when needed. All lunches with perishable foods are required to have a freezer pack inside. If there are any children with life threatening food allergies in a classroom, you will be asked not to send those foods to school.
Snacks and Birthdays. Sign-up sheets are posted outside each child’s classroom for those who wish to bring snack during certain days of the month. A nutritious snack with water, milk, or 100% fruit juice is recommended--no grape/red juices. Cups and napkins will be provided by the ELC. Please provide enough food for the number of children in the class. (There are approximately 13 in the Toddler classes and 16 in the preschool classes, plus two teachers.) The ELC will provide a snack if no parent has volunteered.
Communication. Parents are encouraged to talk via telephone with their child’s teachers or the Director any time they have a concern or question. It is not appropriate to discuss children during drop off or pick up. Daily notes are posted on the classroom bulletin boards and other important notices are displayed on the large bulletin board outside of the ELC office. Your child will also bring home a monthly newsletter from the ELC office with additional important information and dates to remember.
Open House and Conferences. An open house is held during the evening in early November of each year for our classes. This gathering was created for the children to invite members of their family to come and visit with their teachers and to meet their new friends. Parents of preschoolers as well as toddlers will have scheduled conferences during the year to receive progress updates on their child; however, parents are encouraged to talk with their child’s teachers at any time during the year.
Parent Involvement. Our school could not be as successful as it is without the help of our parents, and we thank you! Please watch our ELC office bulletin board and monthly newsletters for volunteer opportunity projects such as our preschool imaginary trip, the book fair, the Christmas Gift Drive, as well as other fund raisers.
All policies of this program fall under the direction of the Early Learning Center’s Board of Directors. A list of Board Members may be obtained from the ELC office. Suggestions regarding the ELC program will be presented to the Board by the ELC Directors.
Basic Information
Kelly Mervine, Education Director
Melinda Aghajanian, Associate Director
7250 Lancaster Pike
Hockessin, DE 19707
(302)239-3033
Program. The Early Learning Center, an outreach program of the Hockessin United Methodist Church, is accredited by the Nursery-Kindergarten Association of Delaware (NKAD), and is inspected and licensed yearly by the State of Delaware in accordance with day care regulations. A general overview of our program’s age appropriate developmental milestones is available upon request.
Sessions. The ELC is operational Monday through Friday from September to May. A list of all classes offered is available in the ELC office and under Class Offerings. Class placement is determined strictly by the child’s age.
Forms Required before Admission. The required forms for the Early Learning Center are mailed out in June to all enrolled families. Forms are due back to the preschool by August 1st.
Tuition. The ELC has instituted automatic debit for payment of your monthly tuition. Each month your tuition payment will be electronically transferred from the checking or savings account you authorize and credited to the Early Learning Center’s account at M & T Bank. Direct payment via ACH (Automated Clearing House) is a safe and convenient method for making a payment. There will be a fee accessed for insufficient funds. Please remember, monthly fees reflect an annual tuition rate divided equally among nine months. Monthly tuition rates do not fluctuate due to holidays, in-service days, or your child’s absence. (All classes meet approximately the same number of days throughout the school year.)
Withdrawals. Please notify the ELC office in writing no less than two weeks before withdrawal. No pre-paid tuition will be refunded for the month that the withdrawal takes place. If your child is absent for an extended period due to illness or other reasons, his/her place may be assured by continuing the monthly tuition payments. For extremely unusual circumstances regarding an extended absence, please speak to the ELC Directors.
Illness. Your child may return to school after 24 hours on an antibiotic or 24 hours without fever. We do not administer any medicine, including diaper ointments. In the case of colds, please don’t send a child who has any of these symptoms: mucousy nose, crankiness, listlessness, or coughing. Please inform the ELC office if your child becomes sick with any contagious illnesses such as chicken pox, pink eye, lice, etc.
Absences. Please call the office if your child will be absent. We will notify the classroom teachers. Our number is
(302) 239-3033.
School Closings and Late Openings. Please see our Snow/Emergency Procedures. We do not make up days missed due to inclement weather.
Positive Behavior Guidance. Our goal is for children to be successful members of their preschool community. The staff will communicate clear expectations to the children; model and encourage appropriate behavior; provide age-friendly classroom environments; and structure their daily schedules so that the children can work and play cooperatively. Children with inappropriate classroom behavior will be redirected, offered appropriate behavior choices, guided in their efforts to resolve conflict, encouraged to use their words, or provided a quiet opportunity to regain their self control.
Arrival & Pick Up. Please be prompt! Your child’s transition into the classroom is always easier when he/she is brought on time to participate in the activities planned for the beginning of the class day. When class is over, a teacher will only release a child to an adult designated on the release form. He/she will be required to sign your child in and out each day. Our teachers must clean up and prepare for other classes during the day, so please be prompt in picking up your child. Please call the ELC office at 239-3033 if you know you are going to be late. Your child will be waiting in the ELC office and a $7 late fee will be assessed at that time. Please use the ELC entrance at all times and not the church sanctuary entrance.
Safety. Please practice all measures of safety in the parking lot. Drive very slowly and hold your children’s hands into the building. Never leave other children in your car to run into the building. If necessary, please call the ELC office, and we will walk your child to class for you. Running in the halls or playing in empty rooms of the church is discouraged. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Clothing. Dress your child for active play. They will paint, glue, glitter, and dig in the sandbox. Good clothes may get ruined. Encourage independence by providing simple on and off clothes for ease in toilet use or training. Sneakers or other rubber soled shoes are recommended. No sandals, plastic shoes, or dress shoes are allowed. Children should keep an extra set of seasonal clothing in a zip lock bag in their ELC tote bag. Parents are required to provide diapers for those who wear diapers or pull-ups. Please send mittens and hats during cold weather, as we go outside every clear day. Label all clothing (including diapers), please!
Lunch. If your child stays for lunch, bring a lunch box labeled with your child’s name under the handle. Include a simple lunch with a sandwich, diced fruit, non-carbonated drink, and a napkin. Include a training cup and spoon when needed. All lunches with perishable foods are required to have a freezer pack inside. If there are any children with life threatening food allergies in a classroom, you will be asked not to send those foods to school.
Snacks and Birthdays. Sign-up sheets are posted outside each child’s classroom for those who wish to bring snack during certain days of the month. A nutritious snack with water, milk, or 100% fruit juice is recommended--no grape/red juices. Cups and napkins will be provided by the ELC. Please provide enough food for the number of children in the class. (There are approximately 13 in the Toddler classes and 16 in the preschool classes, plus two teachers.) The ELC will provide a snack if no parent has volunteered.
Communication. Parents are encouraged to talk via telephone with their child’s teachers or the Director any time they have a concern or question. It is not appropriate to discuss children during drop off or pick up. Daily notes are posted on the classroom bulletin boards and other important notices are displayed on the large bulletin board outside of the ELC office. Your child will also bring home a monthly newsletter from the ELC office with additional important information and dates to remember.
Open House and Conferences. An open house is held during the evening in early November of each year for our classes. This gathering was created for the children to invite members of their family to come and visit with their teachers and to meet their new friends. Parents of preschoolers as well as toddlers will have scheduled conferences during the year to receive progress updates on their child; however, parents are encouraged to talk with their child’s teachers at any time during the year.
Parent Involvement. Our school could not be as successful as it is without the help of our parents, and we thank you! Please watch our ELC office bulletin board and monthly newsletters for volunteer opportunity projects such as our preschool imaginary trip, the book fair, the Christmas Gift Drive, as well as other fund raisers.
All policies of this program fall under the direction of the Early Learning Center’s Board of Directors. A list of Board Members may be obtained from the ELC office. Suggestions regarding the ELC program will be presented to the Board by the ELC Directors.
