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Garden City Early Learning Center


Learning and growth are at the heart of what we offer! Fully licensed by the State of Michigan for infants through 12 year olds, we provide full-day and half-day programs for infants through 5 years olds, and school-aged Latchkey Care for Kindergarteners through 6th grade. Our lead teachers possess a CDA or higher and all staff are trained in first aid and CPR annually.

Interested in scheduling a classroom visit? Call 734-762-8440



Our Promise BlocksStacked

  • Offer each child a warm and nurturing learning environment.
  • Understand that children learn and progress at different levels and times.
  • Focus on developmental domains of learning: Physical, Social-Emotional, Cognitive, Language & Literacy, Mathematical and Creative Arts.
  • Children will learn and develop individually through teacher-directed and self-directed activities.
  • Encourage children's learning through hands-on, multi-sensory exploration and discovery!
  • Cultivate their love of learning through our balanced and research-based curriculum.
 

Our Philosophy BlockFittings

Teacher’s Role
We strive to guide your child in a direction that is interesting and engaging, allowing them to choose an individual learning and playing style. The teacher’s role supports this by providing a nurturing, safe environment as well as activities and materials that children enjoy! Combined with observation and listening, interesting materials, exploration and interaction - your child will thrive through our program!

Thorough documentation allows teachers to plan based off your child’s interests to accelerate their development. Teachers communicate with parents daily through face-to-face conversations, newsletters, Parent-Teacher Conferences, REMIND101 phone app and/or e-mail.


Your Child’s Role
Children learn about the world around them through relationships with people and things. They are active 2 learners, meaning children form their own ideas, learn basic concepts, and construct knowledge through conversations, singing, moving, and manipulating objects.

Play is linked to learning and builds a foundation for future growth by:

  • Self-regulation
  • Making rules and using symbols
  • Prosocial Behaviors
  • Collaboration with peers
  • Creating and using imagination
  • Problem-solving
  • Memory and recall development
  • Meaningful connections to real life
  • Motivation to learn
  • Task persistence
  • Inquiry skills
  • Exploring mathematical and literacy concepts
  • Increasing language development


Parent’s and Family Role
When parents and family members show an interest in their child’s work and play, they are reinforcing that learning is fascinating and fun! This inspires and motivates them to keep investigating their surroundings. We encourage parents to read to their child, cook, play, build and create together! Conversations, experiences and teachable moments are invaluable!

We have an open door policy. Feel free to stop in anytime to visit your child’s classroom and/or volunteer. During January, we offer a 6 week volunteer program for parents to work with children in our program for Motor Moms and Dads.

Visit www.motormomsanddads.com for more information! (All volunteers require a background check to participate in this program).

We encourage every family to join our Parent Teacher Support Team. We meet every other month for fellowship, to share ideas for fundraising, family fun nights and parent education nights. This facilitates parent networking and teacher support, while providing a time where ideas, concerns and questions about the program can be addressed.


Creative Curriculum by Teaching Strategies
We chose The Creative Curriculum® because it incorporates current research, best teaching practices, flexibility and takes the needs of every type of learner into account. The curriculum is divided into Units of Study, which is made up of investigations for each day. The day is spent in interest areas of a child’s choosing, large group time, small group time, read alouds, music and art experiences and much more!


Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment aligns with Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality
We believe child observation is an authentic and ongoing form of assessment which supports infants, toddlers and twos; and preschool children. Teachers observe what children do, say, draw, and create as a way to gather information about a child. The observations are recorded and help teachers plan intentionally with a goal in mind, which is the key to planning appropriate learning experiences.



Michigan Standards
Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infants & Toddlers http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ_IT_approved_422341_7.pdf

Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Pre-Kindergarten http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ_OK_Approved_422339_7.pdf

Alignment of Standards 
Michigan Early Childhood Standards with Teaching Strategies GOLD for Infants & Toddlers http://teachingstrategies.com/content/pageDocs/MI-GOLD-Alignment-IT2-2010.pdf

Michigan Early Childhood Standards with Teaching Strategies GOLD for Pre-Kindergarten http://teachingstrategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MI-GOLD-Alignment-Pre-K-20 14.pdf