Program Overview

The Early Learning Center at Baruch College provides childcare and education to infants, toddlers and preschool children of Baruch students, faculty and staff. Applications are accepted throughout the year with enrollment upon available spaces. The ELC is in the process of receiving NYC Department of Health licensing for infants, toddlers, and pre-school aged children.

Curriculum

The Program presents an interdisciplinary, Project-Approach to curriculum, designed in conjunction with the children’s interest and development, offering opportunities for in-depth exploration and research to develop critical building blocks for academic success. We believe that children are natural learners and encourage them to explore their environment as they engage in exploring their world to construct an understanding of their own experiences.

A balance of individual and group activities provides children with opportunities to immerse themselves in dramatic play, woodworking, cooking, storytelling, care for animals, music, block building and art making. In addition, the Center created an extensive lending library with children’s books, games and puzzles to connect school and home. The lending library also provides families with books and materials to support their parenting journey.

Neighborhood trips to local playgrounds and parks are an ongoing part of the children’s activity to expand our classroom programming.

Classroom Design

Each classroom is staffed by a full-time lead teacher, a full-time assistant teacher and part-time assistant teacher to ensure high adult to child ratio and individualized attention.  In addition to individual classroom, three collaborative classrooms which create ample opportunities for older children to be peer mentors to the younger children and for the younger children to learn from their older counterparts.

Each pre-school classroom is equipped with a children’s bathroom, while infant/toddler classrooms have diaper changing stations.