1102 North Broadway
Urbana IL 61801
phone: 217-384-3616 fax: 217-384-3615
1102 North Broadway
Urbana IL 61801
phone: 217-384-3616 fax: 217-384-3615
Our program is proud to have earned NAEYC Accreditation – the mark of quality for early childhood education programs.
New "Learning Center" Playground Dedicated!
Washington Early Childhood School students now have a new learning center playground to hone developmental skills through play. The school dedicated the new playground this week after private funds paid for the entire project.
The school still has a traditional playground with swings and a jungle gym, but Washington Early Childhood Principal Crystal Vowels says this learning center is crucial to the students’ development. "What we want to do is bring some of the central work they do inside outdoors. So, we've set up a music center, a drama center, a lot of imagination centers (and) the teachers will bring some props and things from the classroom which will help build on the things that they do out here," Vowels says.
Vowels says the pieces of equipment on the playground serve several purposes and will help the 3-5 year-old children develop their creative, imagination, and learning skills.
The new playground did not cost the taxpayers a dime. "All of this was funded through our community. We've had Sam's Club and Wal-Mart donate a large amount of money towards (the playground) as well as Carle and Provena," Vowels explains. She adds that families also contributed money towards the project.
The Washington Early Childhood students were eager to get on the playground and try out the new learning centers. Vowels says the students were able to watch workers build the facility and she says, "The kids watched all the building and the digging so they learned a ton. And, they were thrilled; they were so excited to get out here and make use of what they saw going in."
