We have chosen the name Eli’s Place to bring to mind the Bible story of Hannah, Eli and Samuel from the book of 1st Samuel.  It is at the temple where Eli is the priest that Hannah prays for a child and promises to give  the child back to the Lord.  When Samuel lived at the temple with Eli, he heard God’s call and began to serve Him.  As you bring your children to Eli’s Place at Wesley Monumental it is our prayer that they will come to know God and His great love for them, and they will never know a day apart from the Lord.

Our facility is newly renovated and meets all life safety code requirements.  Wesley Monumental has used the United Methodist Church Safe Sanctuaries program to develop a Child Protection Policy, which requires screening and training for all adults who work with children.

Programs

Note: the information below is for the school year.
For Summer Camp information, click these links:
Summer Camp Information Summer Camp Registration

8 Weeks to 2 Years Old:
For children in this age range, we offer a Monday and Friday class or a Tuesday and Thursday class.  Our program follows an age appropriate schedule with circle times for instruction, indoor and outdoor play, snack, lunch, rest, art activities and music and movement.  We have a lead teacher and two assistant teachers in this classroom.  Enrollment is limited to 12 children per class.

Two Year Olds:
We have a Younger Two Year Old Class and an Older Two Year Old Class.  Both classes accept children two, three or five days per week.  We have certified teachers in both classrooms and use an established curriculum and developmental guidelines for lesson plans and center activities.  Each class follows an age appropriate schedule with circle times for instruction, indoor and outdoor play, snack, lunch, rest, art activities and music and movement.  Bible stories and hymn singing are a part of the morning schedule.  The children’s social skills are developed in this class as we work on sharing, taking turns, transitioning from one activity to the next and using our good manners words.  Building on our monthly themes the children learn about colors and shapes, days of the week and months of the year, letters of the alphabet and letter sounds.  We also help the children learn to take care of themselves by teaching how to wash hands, take off and put on clothing, feed themselves and use the toilet.  We have a lead teacher and an assistant teacher in each class.  Enrollment is limited to 12 children per class.

Three Year Olds:
Our three year olds fill a new space in our Fellowship Hall this year.  With separate areas for circle time and art they have plenty of room to spread out.  Our experienced and certified teachers will use a structured curriculum and incorporate some Montessori methods in this class.  Bible stories and music are taught on alternate days.  The class follows an age appropriate schedule with circle times for instruction, indoor and outdoor play, snack, lunch, rest, art activities and music and movement.  Circle times incorporate our monthly themes and emphasize letter and number recognition, letter sounds, fine motor skill development, pre-reading and pre-writing activities and time and spatial concepts.  We accept children in this class two, three or five days per week and limit enrollment to 12 children per class.

Four Year Olds:
We are excited to offer a four year old Pre K class this year.  Our new classroom will be on the ground floor of the Taylor Street house next to the church office and our playground.  This class will use a structured curriculum with an emphasis on reading.  We believe reading is the foundation on which all future learning is based.  Our certified teachers will be using a curriculum from the state approved list and will also include math, science and writing activities.  Learning centers will be introduced throughout the year and include sculpture and collage, sand and water, home living, blocks and transportation, science, language arts, books and reading, music and movement and large motor skills.  Bible stories and music are taught on alternate days each week.  Both of the teachers for this class have Early Childhood certification and experience teaching young children.   Enrollment is limited to 12 children attending five days per week.

Philosophy of Education

The philosophy of Eli’s Place is to provide a nurturing and enriching learning environment based on child development principles that will address the needs of the whole child.  The core components will include:

We believe children are able to become confident, motivated and creative life-long learners through developmentally appropriate play, discover, and meaningful learning experiences.  With the help of well-trained qualified teachers, children will be led through an established routine that involves large and small group activities as  well as free choice time.  Appropriate curriculum for young children is correctly tailored to the specifics of each age group.  Different ages have different needs, interests, and developmental tasks.  The curriculum will reflect those variations and provide a strong foundation. 

At Eli’s Place we believe a child’s play is their work.  But our playing always has a purpose.  We want our children to love to learn and love to come to school.  Time is too precious to waste on “fun for fun’s sake” when we can have just as much fun with activities which teach.   Our goal is to help each child become a confident, creative life-long learner. 
.