Early Childhood Education (ECE) - United South End Settlements

Early Childhood Education

USES’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program is focused on preparing children to become confident, successful learners. Our teachers and group leaders create nurturing and warm spaces to support the development of each child’s self-esteem and growth. All ECE classrooms provide rich learning environments where children can flourish socially, emotionally, and intellectually.

What is the difference between Early Childhood Education and Daycare?

Early Childhood Education (ECE) focuses on providing foundational numeracy and literacy skills for child infants through Pre-kindergarten to help prepare them for their school years. This is a critical period of a child’s development as this is where they learn and develop cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills that are designed to set them up for success during their school years. Our teaching methods typically incorporate play-based learning, hands-on activities and age-appropriate instruction in language, math, science and social studies. At USES, we use an emergent curriculum approach as a guide for creating developmentally appropriate lesson plans to ensure that each child’s individual and developmental needs are met. Our curriculum is also taught by educators experienced in the field who have received their certification in early education and care.

Daycare providers may also offer basic educational activities, but the focus is generally on meeting the physical and emotional needs of the children in their care. In contrast, ECE refers to programs and services that are designed specifically to support the learning and development of young children. Additionally, daycare settings may or may not follow a structured curriculum and specific educational training is not required of staff. At USES, all educators are certified following the requirements mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. If you have any further questions about what makes USES’ ECE program unique, please feel free to contact Kaiti Coffin, Director Of Youth and Family Mobility Programming, at kcoffin@uses.org.

Program Stats

70+

children served each year

identified as BIPOC

Three children in the USES Early Childhood Education program are playing outside

Our Curriculum

We aim to create developmentally appropriate lessons to ensure that each child’s individual and developmental needs are met. Art and science are frequently integrated in each of our classrooms through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). STEAM allows us to teach abstract concepts in a tangible and accessible way to young children who learn with their whole bodies and minds. We believe that art is a powerful tool for literacy and language development, critical thinking as well as reasoning and emotional regulation skills.

Our program is divided into three age groups:

Infant Program: 3 months – 1.3 years old
Toddler Program: 1.3 – 2.9 years old
Pre-School Program: 2.9 – 5 years old

ECE operates year-round and is open Monday – Friday, from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. For more information about enrollment, ECE programming, rates or vouchers, please contact Kaiti Coffin, Director Of Youth and Family Mobility Programming, at kcoffin@uses.org or (617) 375-8119.

Meet Our Classrooms

Teddy Bears

Ages: 3 to 15 months

Ratio: 2 educators to 7 infants

Developmental Milestones: rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling up, grasping, and reaching

Fun Fact: several teddy bears have siblings and cousins in other classrooms throughout the building!

Busy Bees

Ages: 12 to 18 months

Ratio: 2 educators to 9 toddlers

Developmental Milestones: learning to walk, forming new bonds, and adjusting to routines

Fun Fact: Our little Busy Bees love to dance and have a blast playing with the parachute! Each child brings their own special spark to our classroom, making every day full of light, laughter, and love.

Explorers

Ages: 18 months to 2 years

Ratio: 2 educators to 9 toddlers

Developmental Milestones: language development, learning to talk and babble, and trying new things

Fun Fact: Our Explorers love to learn new things, especially dancing and reading books! They are always full of energy and ready to start the day with enthusiasm.

Dinos

Ages: 2 to 3 years

Ratio: 2 educators to 9 toddlers

Developmental Milestones: developing motor skills, increasing vocabulary, socializing with peers, and learning basic concepts like colors, shapes, and numbers. Additional focuses include independence and self-regulation.

Fun Fact: One fun fact about our class is that we absolutely love to dance! Our theme song for the classroom is “We Are the Dinosaurs” by Laurie Berkner, and it’s always a hit with the kiddos. They love singing along and moving their bodies to the music.

Stars

Ages: 2.9 to 4 years

Ratio: 2 educators to 20 children

Developmental Milestones: identifying letters, learning colors and the days of the week, using writing instruments, and learning key independence skills.

Fun Fact: Fun fact most of our children can tell you what the day of the week it is. Also, most of our class can identify their shapes. Our classroom loves anything that has to do with music and movement. Their favorite song to sing is “open, shut them”.

Sierras

Ages: 4 to 4 years old

Ratio: 1 educator to 10 children

Developmental Milestones: Dressing themselves, counting to 10, recognizing colors, using tools like scissors, hopping on one foot, and throwing/catching a ball.

Fun Fact: Many children in the Sierras have family members in the program and some children can even read on their own!