The Elizabethport Presbyterian Center Early Childhood Program, led by Director Donna Scott, provides a high quality educational and social development curriculum to 90 economically disadvantaged three and four year old kids, most of whom come from homes where English is not the primary language. Each class of 15 students has a teacher and a teacher’s assistant, at least one or both of whom are bi-lingual.

The Early Childhood Program utilizes the High/Scope curriculum, which provides an early childhood learning experience that can be adapted and modified for differences in age and ability, developmental stages, cultural backgrounds, families’ needs and identified special needs.

We celebrate the diversity of our students whose families come from over 20 different countries or territories, including: Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Portugal, Peru, Spain, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Egypt, Africa, Ireland, Morocco, Ecuador, Costa Rico, Argentina and United States. To serve our diverse each classroom has a staff member that speaks both English and Spanish. The teaching staff have specialized college-level course work and professional developmental training that prepares them to work with children and families of diverse races, cultures and languages.

The Early Childhood Program serves not only the children in the program, but their families as well. We work with the families to practice emotional development skills and positive discipline techniques. We engage the parents in their child’s education with books that can be read to their children through our lending library.

Our family workers meet with the parents/legal guardian of every child to fill out a family intake form to gain information about the ways families define their own race, religion, home language, culture and family structure. The Center then uses this information to assess and address family needs through parenting workshops and linking families to community and governmental agencies for services such as GED classes, English as a Second language classes, immigration information, health care and vaccinations referrals.

​The early Childhood Education Program has been operating remotely during this school year. The teachers and aids provide remote learning via Zoom accounts. Breakfast, lunch and snack are picked up or delivered for every student.