
Early Learning Center
Schools & Programs / Early Learning Center / Preschool / Lower School / Middle School
Preparing Minds. Living for Christ.
OPEN
7 AM to 6 PM
GELDS STANDARDS
Theme-Based Curriculum
AGES:
Birth to 3 years
Our Mission and Philosophy
The mission of the St. Luke Early Learning Center is to provide a loving, Christian environment where each child’s individual development – social, emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual – can be fostered and encouraged. We are dedicated to providing high quality, developmentally appropriate care and education to children.
Our Location
300 11th Street
Columbus, GA 31901
706.322.2703 (main)
706.324.6358 (fax)
Katie Lopez
ELC Director
706.322.2703
Daily Operations
-
St. Luke Early Learning Center operates from 7:00am-6:00pm, Monday through Friday. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided throughout the school day.
-
Interested parents should contact the Center to add children to the waitlist. Upon receipt of the waitlist card and $55 non-refundable fee, the child’s name is placed on the appropriate list. Parents are notified when an opening is available. Enrollment is completed online and includes the following items:
Annual Enrollment Fee
Enrollment Agreement
Student Information Sheet
Health Record
WIC
CACFP
Web Permissions
Questionnaire
Immunization
The Center reserves the right to drop any child from enrollment whenever this appears to be in the best interest of the child and/or other children in the Center. In the event that this is necessary, a two-weeks notice is given to parents. Likewise, parents may withdraw a child from the Center provided that either a two week written notice is given or two week’s additional fees are paid.
-
Our academic curriculum is theme based with Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS) assessment. GELDS are a set of appropriate, attainable standards, divided into age groups from birth through five years, and are designed to be flexible enough to support children’s individual rates of development, approaches to learning, and cultural context. Regular Bible lessons (Think Orange) are also integrated into our weekly themes.
Our program supports and encourages each child’s individual development – social, emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual. All aspects of our curriculum are centered around play. Research supports play as a powerful means of learning for young children. Play is a child’s work, and objects that we call toys become tools that children use to practice skills, imagine, experiment, create, problem solve, express themselves and construct knowledge. Our learning centers in each classroom are set up to enable children to learn through discovery in their play experiences.
Structure is also an important part of the ELC curriculum. We believe in a planned program of keeping children active, happy, busy, and learning. At the St. Luke Early Learning Center, we find that if children are busy meeting with success, they are well behaved. Therefore, we alternate active and quiet time periods to provide a balance of small group, large group, individual, teacher-directed and free-choice activities.
Staff to child ratios in our classrooms are as follows:
Infants – 2:6
Toddlers – 2:8
Two year old – 2:10
Three year old – 2:15
-
Wait List Fee
There is a $55 non-refundable fee to submit an online application and place your child on our waiting list.
Registration Enrollment Fee
Once a spot in a classroom is available for your child, you will be contacted and sent an online enrollment packet and fee to submit. The enrollment fee is due with your child’s enrollment packet in order to hold his/her spot. Each year thereafter, a reenrollment fee is due when you complete your child’s reenrollment for the following school year, typically in the Spring.
Your child is considered enrolled in the Center upon receipt of the enrollment packet and payment of the $225 enrollment/re-enrollment fee. Enrollment/re-enrollment is completed using FACTS Family Online.
Tuition
Weekly tuition is $225 and is billed weekly on Mondays. A monthly late fee of $35 is applied if a balance remains at the end of the month.
It is imperative that your account remain current. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact the director in order to avoid possible late fees and/or disenrollment.
Withdrawal from the Center
You may withdraw your child from the Early Learning Center after providing the office with a two-week advance written notice.
Late Fee
St. Luke ELC closes promptly at 6:00 pm each evening. All children and parents must exit the building by this time. The front lobby clock will serve as the “official clock” for determining time. Please synchronize your device with this clock. This will be a no exception policy for the following reasons:
Teachers give their best to your children each day, but they also have responsibilities to their own children and family. They need to know that they can end their school day reliably at 6:00pm daily.
Late pick-ups require St. Luke ELC to pay the teachers overtime. These additional costs must be passed on to the parents who create the need for overtime.
Most children’s internal body clock sense when their usual pick-up time is! Children can become nervous or fearful when they are at school later than normal or see that they are the last to be picked-up.
Parents are required to notify the Center as soon as possible, if they are unable to arrive by closing time. However, calling ahead will not excuse parents from being charged the late fee.
Our Late Pick-Up Policy is as follows:
A late fee of $10 per child will be charged if parents arrive between 6:01 – 6:10.
At 6:11, until the child is picked-up, parents will be charged an additional $3 per minute.
There will be no exceptions or warnings. If parents are late for any reason, a charge will be issued. This no exception policy makes it easier for us to apply the late policy to everyone consistently and fairly.
If this becomes a frequent problem, St. Luke ELC reserves the right to dismiss a family from the program.