Our Program
OPERATING HOURS: Monday – Friday 7:45AM – 5:30PM
“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”
-Kay Redfield Jamison
At DELC, we believe that children learn through exploration and interaction with their environment, their peers, and their teachers. We provide ample opportunities for students to explore their surroundings in a meaningful way.
Our curriculum is based off of the Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines, utilizing daily observations on each child’s interests and developmental needs to inform individualized learning experiences and adaptations to the classroom environment. With smaller class sizes, we are able to provide increased one-on-one attention for individual students.
We utilize Teaching Strategies Gold as our assessment of developmental progress and conduct two family conferences per year in the fall and in the spring.
DELC utilizes the outdoor environment to further expand upon children’s learning opportunities. We are excited to announce that DELC was the recipient of an ECHO grant to develop and maximize our outdoor learning spaces.
We strive to ensure that every child leaves Durango Early Learning Center ready for kindergarten with a sense of self, a foundation of self-regulation and social competence, and a joy of learning.
School Gardens
As we do not have a commercial kitchen, we do require families to provide their child with a healthy lunch, but DELC provides healthy snacks in the morning and late afternoon. Our students are active participants in the school’s many gardens. From prepping beds to planting, watering, and eventually enjoying the produce and herbs cultivated at school, students learn about where food comes from and how to care for it.
Classroom Management
DELC believes in a pro-social approach to classroom management. Teachers proactively prepare the learning environment to promote smaller groups and cooperation in learning center areas, teach students how to recognize and name feelings in themselves and others, provide opportunities for practicing problem solving, and support the development of self-regulation. Our use of the Conscious Discipline program provides a supportive and respectful approach to all aspects of behavior (www.consciousdiscipline.com).
Inclusiveness
DELC welcomes families from all backgrounds. We value all children as individuals and recognize that each child has something special to bring to our community. We partner with the Colorado Preschool Program and the Colorado Department of Human Services as well as provide tuition assistance based on income. We work with 9R Child Find directly to support students with special needs, developing behavior support plans and IEP’s in partnership with families.
Family Involvement and Support
At DELC we believe that families should be active participants in their child’s first formal educational experience. We require 12 hours of family volunteer involvement per year. We understand that families have varying degrees of availability, and we create opportunities for volunteering that best fit the family and their unique skills and talents. We feel that the education of young children is a four-way partnership of child, family, school, and community.
