Early Childhood

Harnessing children’s natural curiosity

Our youngest students love coming to a school where they can begin collaborating with others, expressing original ideas, solving problems, understanding themselves and discovering their abilities.

We strive to ensure the first formal learning experience for these three- and four-year-olds is meaningful, relevant, and joyful in a supportive and high achieving environment.

Our Early Childhood teachers apply their expertise to intermingle learning and play in the right balance. Lessons focused on learning the alphabet, numbers, plants and animals, days of the week are blended with Spanish lessons, art, music forays, and thoughtful library visits.

“I have an open relationship with the teachers, so I know how my kids are doing and they are able to tell me.”

- Current EA Parent

Inquire TodayLearn More About Early Childhood

"We take a hands-on approach to learning. We also incorporate activities for our children to build self-esteem, learn to problem solve and get along with others, and engage in rich discussions. We key into their natural curiosity and associate it to scientific practices. Our ultimate goal is for our students to develop an excitement for learning."

- Amy Maly, Early Childhood Instructor

Academic Excellence

In addition to focusing on the educational building blocks of reading, writing and arithmetic, we begin hands-on and in-depth learning at a very young age.

World Languages

All Early Childhood students participate in Spanish instruction during the course of the school week. Spanish classes at each grade level meet 3 times per 7-Day cycle for 15 minutes.

Library

All Early Childhood students attend Library class once per 7-Day cycle. Students are introduced to different literature genres and encouraged to find books to borrow and bring home to share with their families.

Fine Arts

At a young age, we are already striving to help our students discover the joy of the arts as a lifelong pursuit.

Music

Early Childhood music classes encourage students to explore music through play, song, and dance. Students actively create, improvise, perform, and learn about the world around them through music. These young students develop a sense of steady beat, rhythm, melodic direction and pitch.

Visual Arts

The Early Childhood visual arts classes meet for 30 minutes. The classes have a creative learning environment that involves working together, moving around, discussion and having the freedom to try a new approach to their work. The students focus on basic art skills including drawing lines and basic shapes, color, cutting, pasting, and general art awareness.

Beginning in the Early Childhood program, students are offered visual art classes and general music classes.

Program Options

Early Childhood offers flexible programing options.

We strive to ensure the first formal learning experience for our early childhood students is meaningful, relevant, and joyful. We offer a variety of program options for Early Childhood to ensure our youngest students have a positive student experience that is consistent with their development level.

Program options include:

Half Day - 8:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Full Day - 8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Three Days - Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Five Days - Monday - Friday

After School Options

Early Childhood students are welcome to stay on campus after school as a part of our Extended Day programs.

Extended Day

Early Childhood students can stay on campus each day until 6:00 pm in the Rider Center Library. Families may sign their students out of EA Extended Day by entering the Library in the Rider Center. Families are billed $10 per hour/per student for EA Extended Day through the Business Office.

Meet Our Early Childhood Faculty & Staff

“We found some wonderful teachers who were caring, engaging, and personalized. You know those once-in-a-lifetime teachers you get? At EA, we got them multiple times.”

Parent of an EA Graduate

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Amy Criswell

Early Childhood & Lower School Director, PEAK Director

M Ed, University of New Hampshire
BA, University of New Hampshire

Truly amazing things occur at Elgin Academy because we work to ensure that our students feel known and have a sense of belonging and purpose. At EA, students learn and discover in an active environment built on partnership, respect, compassion, challenge, and integrity. When students feel safe to express their ideas, make mistakes, ask questions, and be creative, meaningful learning takes place and it's magical.
-Amy Criswell

Jennifer Brown

Lower School Administrative Assistant, Health Associate, Development Associate

BS, St. Louis University

Being a part of the EA Community means being in a place where people genuinely care. We celebrate each other in our successes and support each other in our challenges. We come to this place not just because it is a job or it is our school, but because we truly believe in the experience that takes place on our campus.
-Jenn Brown

Helen Elayan

Director of Personalized Learning

MA, Adler School of Professional Psychology
BA, DePaul University

My philosophy as a school counselor is the belief that every student can succeed. Learning is a lifelong process and I want to help students foster a positive self-image all in collaboration with the school, home, and community. My goal as the school counselor at EA is to provide a safe place for all students and to address every student's intellectual, emotional, and social needs.
-Helen Elayan

Amy Maly

Early Childhood Teacher

BS, Illinois State University

Each day I commit to challenging the children to grow and do so in a fashion that considers where each child is developmentally. By personalizing my interactions and facilitating opportunities for that growth to take place, I am delighted when they emerge into the young person that exemplifies their "true self".
-Amy Maly