• Our Morning Program 8:30am - 12:00pm and/or
• Our Afternoon Program 1pm - 4:30pm
• Lunch, extended care and full-time options available
• Ages 3 years^* through Kindergarten
• Relaxed, supportive, play-based and culturally diverse environment
• Experienced, caring, professional staff with low turnover rate
• Diapers (cloth or paper) OK

ECPC has morning, lunch, and afternoon programs. Children may attend three, four, or five mornings or afternoons. A director, an assistant director, a teacher's aide, and four to six parents make up the staff. Because our adult to child ratio is about 1:3 - 1:4, we are able to provide a wide range of activities each day.

A typical morning or afternoon includes a short circle time, free play in the large front yard and indoor areas, snack, large group time (music, stories, games), small group time (one adult with 4-5 children playing a game, making crafts, reading), and backyard play. We offer daily open-ended art projects and frequent science and cooking projects.

We have a fabulous Music teacher who visits the classroom once a week in the morning and afternoon. Special guests, including El Cerrito firefighters, librarians, Tilden Park naturalists, The Bug Mobile, The Vivarium and many others, provide children with hands-on presentations. Field trips are arranged throughout the school year.

Highlights of our program include many exciting science projects. Our children incubate chicken eggs, counting down the days until they hatch and taking turns caring for them while they are young. They observe caterpillars metamorphose into beautiful butterflies. The children also help to take care of our Native Plant Gardens and observe birds, butterflies and insects that have made it their home.

The lunch hour is a great way for children and parents to mingle between programs. The lunch hour also provides the opportunity to extend care for an extra hour. Children are expected to bring a lunch from home, with teachers and parents available to help warm food or open containers.

Extended care is also available in the morning at 8:00am to 8:30am, and in the afternoon from 4:30pm to 5:00pm.

^*Children must be 3 years old by October 1, 2011 for the September 2011-June 2012 school year, regardless of the exact month they begin. Children must be 3 years old by September 1, 2012 for the September 2012-June 2013 school year, regardless of the exact month they begin.