Testimonies

“Children from the ELC come to me ready to learn and meet the high expectations of today’s Kindergarten. They come with a strong foundation in the skills necessary to succeed in school both academically and socially. You can often pick out which children went to the ELC. They are the ones peacefully resolving conflicts among peers, making observations and reflecting on their learning from the previous day, or taking a break in the corner to breathe when overwhelmed emotionally (or using a similar strategy.) You can also usually spot an ELC alum by the way they boldly share their faith. They are the children building Noah’s Ark with blocks and explaining the story to others, initiating prayer over sick friends, and encouraging others to speak life to each other. They are often leaders in class discussions and during play time with friends. The critical formative years of preschool create the foundation for the rest of a child’s life. They deserve a preschool that educates the whole child in intentional ways and plants the seeds of faith and instills a love of learning the way the ELC does. I wish all kids had the opportunity to experience the learning environment and be taught by the staff of the ELC.”

“I wholeheartedly believe that the talent, compassion and drive to see all children succeed is incredibly strong with ELC. I truly miss Ashton going there, but seeing him grow from his first days when Chris had to help me chase him down and get him to want to go into class, to the end of the last day of preschool when he and I both cried because we would miss all of you. You all are truly great at what you do. I just want to thank you for everything you did and helped with for myself and Ashton in the years he attended through the easy and some hard times. So, want to share that I received a letter from Penn Harris Madison School Corporation identifying Ashton as high ability in Math. I believe he has achieved this with your help and encouragement. He is advanced in his abilities to listen, learn and succeed, he’s surpassed his grade level. And for that and so much more I thank you and all the staff.”

“We are so impressed and thankful for the Early Learning Center staff who have helped our daughter learn and grow more than we could ever dream or imagine. We are so appreciative of all of her classroom teachers, this program, and the school. We are forever grateful for the foundation they are building with our daughter and sing this school’s praises, daily. Thank you.”

“Today many little people and their parents prepared for their first day at the Early Learning Center. I didn’t know how to explain the sadness—the mourning actually—I have experienced the last few months knowing Avery is no longer a part of this place. It may seem extremely silly to a lot of people to be this attached to a place but it was never a “place.” It was my church daily, hourly, literally minute by minute pouring love, structure, imagination and the most important of all, faith, into my daughter. Being a parent can be the most amazing, yet scariest, most rewarding experience ever. I am responsible for shaping and directing her to God beyond words. Because I am human I fail hourly at this. Knowing she had Shannon, Angie, Cassie, Jillian, Becky, Peggy, Kristin, Tim, Sam, Jenny, Jill, Tracy, and Chris was literally the tangible kingdom. They came alongside Avery and us as a united front for her faith. My heart is very heavy this week as we prepare to send Avery out into public school Thursday. I feel like we lost a family member not being part of the ELC. This is not a knock to anyone in the public school system! Just a hot-mess mom worried less about not seeing those amazing people every day and having their hugs for my daughter—and me.”

“My son Wyatt is now full time at the Early Learning Center, and I could not be happier with everyone that we have met there, from the instructors to the staff. Prior to choosing the ELC we interviewed and tried other places, and I feel that the structure and positive support that he has received while at ELC is exceptional. Wyatt was so scared the first few weeks he cried every time I dropped him off. Now he runs in the door and says hi to everyone on the way in, even in the parking lot! I would highly recommend the ELC to anyone.”

“We love the Early Learning Center. Our son started at the age of three with no day care experience or being away from family. He struggled with the separation at first, but thanks to the help of his teachers, he continues to improve, and now actually looks forward to going to school.

I have been amazed at what he has learned so far. I love that the ELC is faith-based and coincides with what the kids do on Sundays too. My son knows so many Bible stories and verses because of the ELC. This is assisting my husband and I in building a strong Christian foundation in our child. On top of the strong foundation, he is learning so much about sharing, caring and other personal skills that will help him as he continues to develop. And best of all he gets a great education. They explore creative ways to help the kids learn about animals, plants, music and drama.

All in all we have been very impressed with the Early Learning Center and look forward to continuing our son’s education with you.”

“As Lincoln’s preschool career is rapidly coming to an end, I am sitting here thinking about his past two years at the ELC. We first heard of the Early Learning Center in a church service and there was an informational meeting afterwards. Since I was still on the hunt for the perfect preschool, we stayed for the meeting. Lincoln, being a two-year-old at the time was all over the place and actually broke part of the window blinds while Chris was speaking. I thought, Well, he isn’t getting in here. I liked what Chris had to say, prayed on it, and as soon as the application process started, we applied.

“Either Chris did not notice the chaos we created, or she was understanding. Lincoln was in and we were excited for him to start this new journey. Once he started, we fell in love with the school, teachers and staff. After a couple months of Lincoln being at the ELC we moved 45 minutes away (37 minutes if we are lucky and hit no traffic or snags), and our new home is in a different time zone so we had to be out of the door at 6:45 a.m. to make it to school on time. It was a new challenge that I wasn’t sure was worth ‘just a preschool’ so I looked in my area for at least something comparable. I came up empty handed. Then my plan was have Lincoln finish out the year at the ELC. I could sacrifice for six more months while I searched for something else.

“Well, I never found anything he loved or I loved as much so we enrolled for another year. I can’t count how many times I was late getting to my job in New Buffalo, Michigan because I had to drive from Rolling Prairie to Granger and from Granger to New Buffalo by 8 a.m. Eventually I rearranged my schedule where I did not work on Tuesday and Thursday so I could be fully committed to ensuring I could drop off and pick up my son on time. (On time is still a loose term for me in the morning.) I made these days my errand days, joined a gym in the area, set up lunch appointments with friends, brought my laptop and in vain tried to get work done from Panera or Starbucks. A few times I even just parked at the mall and took a nap from pure mommy exhaustion while patiently waiting for Lincoln to be done with school.

“It was all worth it. In retrospect the 45-minute drives were a blessing. How many parents get the opportunity to have uninterrupted alone time with their child for that long every morning and afternoon just to talk, sing songs, and laugh? My guess is not many. So often even when we are home there are so many distractions that keep us from those intimate moments. The alone time I was able to receive two days a week to do errands and fit in other things I needed and wanted to do was a gift from God. I haven’t slowed down since he was born, and now I realize I wasn’t being inconvenienced, I was being refreshed.

“Thank you to ALL the ELC staff and especially Mrs. Peggy for giving me the peace of mind of knowing my child is loved, growing, and learning when I am not there. That is a priceless gift that I am eternally grateful for.”