In January of 2020, the Early Childcare Center (ECC) began with just 17 attendees. Since then, it has expanded rapidly, taking over the old math building, and now provides an education to 115 young children between the ages of eighteen months and four years old. The ECC is centered in the Jordan building, directly across from the Inn’s main entrance, but the young students can still take advantage of much of the Upper School’s campus with the guidance of their teachers. The ECC aims to foster curiosity and build independence in its students, regardless of their age.
The ECC’s director, Janet Giovinazzo, aims to ensure that students are given the best experience possible. She believes that the ECC provides an experience for young children that goes beyond the basic attention and security provided by most daycare centers. “We’re able to offer such a rich environment that really is the basis of learning for them, whereas a lot of daycare centers, again, it’s just meeting their needs, taking care of them and making sure they’re safe. Which, of course, we do too, but we’re able to bring it up a whole notch,” said Ms. Giovinazzo.
Ms. Giovinazzo stated the main characteristics the ECC works to build in its young students are independence, problem solving, perseverance, and teamwork. By instilling these characteristics into its students, the ECC better prepares them for the next phase of their education. “We’re hoping that they take with them across the street [the ability] to persevere, even if it gets challenging, and not let things upset them,” said Ms. Giovinazzo.
Even as the director, Ms. Giovinazzo is still able to interact with the students, which she believes is the most rewarding part of her job. “They’re always excited. They love to learn. Learning for these little things is as simple as finding a stone, a rock, a pebble, a leaf. Everything interests them because they’re young, and everything is exploration,” stated Ms. Giovinazzo. “Everything’s new to them so it doesn’t take much to get them excited.”
However, she also acknowledged that there are certain challenges that come with working with such young children on a daily basis. It can become difficult to manage the individual needs of the children within a group setting. “Every child needs something a little bit different,” commented Ms. Giovinazzo.
Ms. Giovinazzo credits the ECC’s ability to face this challenge to her staff. “I think as a team here, I have a lot of amazing teachers. The teachers here have a love for children. Number one, their energy is unbelievable. And I think if you talk to any one of them, you’ll see their energy for teaching and young children is huge. And I think that we have fun,” said Ms. Giovinazzo.
One ECC teacher, Donna Rascoe, was driven towards a career in early childhood education by her passion for working with young children. Before she could begin her teaching career, though, she had to receive an education that would allow her to pursue a career in the field. “So I went to school. I got my associates, I got my bachelor’s, and I got my master’s in educational leadership,” stated Ms. Rascoe.
Since she became a Lead Teacher at the ECC in 2020, Ms. Rascoe has been encouraging growth and development in her students. This growth not only sets them up for success, but is also rewarding for Ms. Rascoe to see. “The growth that they do within a couple months, like in a three month span, you can see so much difference and so much growth in a kid that was like, wow, that’s unbelievable,” said Ms. Rascoe.
One specific thing that Ms. Rascoe looks for in her students’ growth is social emotional development. “If they can’t control the behaviors or the anxiety or the social, they can’t learn,” stated Ms. Rascoe. “Can they express themselves? Can they relate to adults? Can they relate to other kids in the classroom? Can they, you know, follow certain ‘123’ directions, you know?”
While the students spend a large portion of their time with lead teachers like Ms. Rascoe, they are also exposed to other educational environments. Another teacher, Linda Regan, teaches at the ECC three times a week through her business All Together Sing. “It’s a business that provides music enrichment and music therapy programs throughout the greater Philadelphia area,” said Ms. Regan.
In her music class, Ms. Regan finds that different students have very different experiences. Because of this, she tries to ensure that any kid who comes into her classroom can feel comfortable. She stated, “One of the things I see the most are the kids that might come in feeling a little shy, a little nervous to move or dance or sing out loud. And then as time gets on and it goes on and they get more comfortable seeing that go away, and then just jumping up and down and dancing and singing along with other kids.”
Even while her class focuses on music, it still aims to build independent, persevering, and creative students. Ms. Regan believes that a lot of the skills students build in her class go beyond just musical skills. “I want to see the music classes helping them in ways that are non-musical,” said Ms. Regan. “So, I’m kind of using music to help them to socialize with their peers, to learn early education concepts, to expand their attention span – how long they can focus on an activity – to move around and in the room without crashing into each other.”
Many of the students who graduate from the ECC continue their education at SCH, with around 80-85% of ECC graduates progressing to the Lower School, according to Ms. Giovinazzo. There, they can feel confident and prepared knowing that they have been given an environment that encourages their development, on both an educational and social level.
