First Presbyterian Early Years Center

The First Presbyterian Early Years Center (formerly Parents’ Day Out or “PDO”) celebrated its 40th year of dedicated childcare in the 2022-2023 Academic Year. Established in 1982 as a co-op program for parents who needed short-term childcare for their children, the program has grown exponentially since its founding. Today, the program reflects the childcare needs of the families in our community, with longer hours, more days and expanded learning opportunities for the children in our care. While we continue to help children adapt to being away from their parents, and encourage and model positive social skills which will carry them through the rest of their lives, the EYC also adopts the philosophy that learning should be playful and fun. We engage children in a variety of ways in order to provide them the opportunities to explore, have their sensory needs met, and to allow them the freedom to develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning. We truly believe that play – both free and guided – is the most effective way children learn. Although we love and admire many of the well-known play-based learning models, we primarily utilize tenets from the Wunderled, Reggio-inspired, and Nature School programs.