ECEAP

The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is a free preschool program for eligible children and their families.

Overview

See if you qualify

Curriculum

Philosophy

Staff Qualifications

ECEAP OVERVIEW

Innovative Services NW Early Learning program offers ECEAP in 5 of our 8 classrooms. The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is a free preschool program for eligible children and their families. ECEAP focuses on the well-being of the whole child by providing nutrition, health, education and family support services. The goal of ECEAP is to help all children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.

This program provides:

Early childhood education in part day, full school day, or extended day classrooms
Social and emotional development
Nutritious meals and snacks
Health screenings and connections to medical, dental, and mental health services
Family support services
Parent education and leadership opportunities

Long-term benefits of ECEAP

Children in this type of high-quality program nationwide are:

Healthier when they start kindergarten
Less likely to be in special education or repeat a grade in school
More likely to graduate from high school and go on to college
Less likely to become pregnant as a teen or become involved in a crime
More likely to be employed and to earn more as an adult

SEE IF YOU QUALIFY

Children 3 years old or 4 years old by August 31st who are:

From a family with a low annual income; or
Qualify for school district special education services; or
Have developmental or environmental risk factors that could affect school success

ECEAP gives priority to a child who:

Will be in kindergarten the following year
Are in foster care or involved with the child welfare system
Are homeless
Are from families with lowest incomes

To see if you qualify for the ECEAP program, please call us at (360) 823-5156 to arrange an appointment. We’d be happy to answer questions, schedule a tour, and learn more about your family and your educational childcare needs. Hablamos español.

ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

We offer the following options for ECEAP enrollment.

Part day/Part year ECEAP with wrap around care for qualifying children age 3-5
Full day/Extended year ECEAP for qualifying children age 3-5

CURRICULUM

The Early Learning program utilizes Creative Curriculum, an approach to Early Childhood Education which provides a balance of teacher-directed and child-initiated learning. Emphasis is focused on supporting holistic development while respecting the unique qualities of each child.

Creative Curriculum combines the perspectives of developmental theory and current research to form a philosophy of learning which meets quality content standards developed by the Department of Early Learning, Early Achievers, and additional measures of best practices in teaching and learning.

Children are provided with a variety of developmentally appropriate learning opportunities throughout the day. Activities that align with the best practice criteria of the Environmental Rating System (ERS) for toddlers and pre-kindergarten aged children are an important component of our classroom environments. These learning experiences include:

Art, Music, and Movement
Blocks and Dramatic Play
Diversity and Cultural Awareness
Fine Motor and Active Physical Play
Nature and Science Discovery

PHILOSOPHY

Our early learning philosophy is to provide each child with a safe, healthy environment, which includes learning experiences that promote positive self-image through intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development. We recognize that children learn best through rich teacher-child interactions and through active play. We strive to:

Provide a safe, caring, enriching environment, and to instill a sense of security
Promote independence, self-control, problem solving and decision making
Develop a sense of cooperation and respect for others
Provide an awareness of the environment, arts and cultures
Develop social, emotional, physical and intellectual skills
Meet the needs of each child as an individual
Provide parent support and resource
Provide culturally responsive care

STAFF QUALIFICATIONS

Innovative Services NW Early Learning program is staffed with a community of educators committed to providing nurturing learning experiences for children. Early Learning is supported by an administrative team of Early Childhood Education professionals with years of experience and degrees within the fields of education and social services. Lead teachers either have degrees specific to Early Childhood Education or are currently working toward degrees. All teaching staff are initially certified through the Washington State Training and Registry Systems (STARS) and attend a minimum of 10 additional STARS certified training hours per year.

Meet our staff.