CHILD CARE MINISTRY

St. Matthew Child Care Ministry offers preschool/prekindergarten instruction in a multi-aged setting for children three to five years of age. To attend, your child must be three years of age by August 1 and potty-trained. We offer a two, three, or five day option in order to best meet your child's needs.

The Child Care Ministry follows the St. Matthew School calendar.  Our hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Class begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. The children eat a hot lunch in St. Matthew's cafeteria. We offer extended care in the afternoon and provide a full day of learning opportunities until 5:30 p.m.

The Child Care Ministry participates in a voluntary accreditation program called Paths to Quality which ensures that your child receives the highest quality care.  Of the four levels of accreditation, we are one of the few centers in Posey County to have achieved Level 3.

Each Child Care Ministry staff member has a degree or certification in early childhood or elementary education.  Staff members also receive an additional 20 hours of professional training each year.

CURRICULUM

The Child Care Ministry uses a hands-on, project-based program called Creative Curriculum. The philosophy behind this curriculum states that children learn best by doing. Our classroom learning environment allows children to learn at their own pace and in the way best suited for them.

We also use National Geographic's science curriculum, a religion program called "Stories of God's Love," the Handwriting without Tears program for printing, and the Letter People program for early literacy, writing, and math. The children also have art, music, and Spanish classes each week, and we visit the public library twice each month.

CHILD CARE MINISTRY STAFF

Ms. Heidi Blackburn, Director hblackburn@evdio.org
Mrs. Bailey Stewart, Lead Teacher bstewart@evdio.org
Mrs. Allyson Powell
Mrs. Jane King
Ms. Barbara Skelton