Early Learning community

Nuestros profesores

Dawn Underwood Director

Hello! My name is Dawn Underwood. I have had the opportunity to serve preschoolers and their families in Johnson County since 2006. In 2010, I started the nonprofit, Johnson County Learning Center, in order to provide high quality early childhood programming on Johnson County that focuses on social emotional development and supports families with young children.

I have been married to a wonderful and supportive husband for over 35 years. We have 2 adult children and a granddaughter, Rynn who is turning three this summer!

I am blessed to lead an early childhood program with a wonderful group of teachers. It is a privilege to work with young children and their families at the time when they are most active in their growth and brain development. My goal is to provide a positive learning and social environment that will benefit each child’s future learning and impact our community as a whole.

Breanna Hogan Assistant Direct I absolutely love working with preschoolers and their families! I am happily married to my husband Nick, we have two amazing sons; Sam and Max.

This is my ninth school year with ELC! Before ELC, I was worked with senior citizens at Home Instead Senior Care, and prior to that I was a stay-at-home Mom. I am taking classes toward my degree in Early Childhood Education. I have always enjoyed children! I started volunteering at ELC when my son was part of the program. That volunteer work soon opened my eyes to my passion for early childhood education! I am blessed to work with ELC, and to have a career that I completely love! Preschoolers are so much fun!

Julie Welling Lead Teacher Half Day I have been married to my husband Glen for more than 30 years. We have two adult children; Kalie and Andrew. Kalie has been married to her husband Josh for 3 years. I am thrilled to share that I have been promoted to Grandma! I absolutely adore my new grandson, Liam, who will be turning 2 this summer! Our son Andrew is engaged and is will be married this summer! I have been teaching at ELC for 9 years. I truly believe I have the best job in the world! I have a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University in early childhood education with a kindergarten endorsement. I received a master teaching certificate from Ball State University in 2019. At ELC, I specialize in math, science and STEAM. I focus on critical thinking skills with children by asking open-ended questions. In addition, I aid in creating a physical education program for children to participate in gross motor activities. I can’t wait to get to know your child! My goal is to create a positive first school experience where each child feels loved, respected and accepted.

Jaskirn (Jazzy) Shergill Teacher I am oldest of 5 girls and love spending time with younger sisters. I am a recent graduate of Whiteland High School and volunteered at the Early Learning Community Preschool for a year through the Central Nine, Early Education Program. I recently completed my CDA and I am currently taking classes at Ivy Tech to obtain my degree in Early Childhood Education. I am excited to be in my second year in the ELC school family.

Sue Chitwood Teacher Hello families! My name is Sue and I am looking forward to getting to know you this year!

I taught preschool for 14 years at kindercare learning centers. And took time off to watch my grandchildren. I’ve been married for 46 years and have 3 children and 7 grandchildren. I love to see the growth the children make throughout the year, and looking at the world through their eyes and perspective! I came to work at ELC because of the quality of work and love everyone has for the children and their success in making the children feel loved and safe .

Testimonios

Our daughter loves playing with friends. We love the great loving relationships with staff. Last year she barely recognized letters or numbers. This year she knows them all and is learning to sound out words. They prepared my child for kindergarten and create such a great community feeling among their kids, staff and parents! The Cridlin Family

Our son loves getting to be with other kids. He also loves showing off what he is learning and telling me about his day. He is attempting to sound out words by looking at the letters and making their sounds. He isn’t quite reading, but ELC is preparing him for success when he does start.

Preschool was essential for us, as our son is an only child and spent all of his time with adults. He needed the interaction with peers to prepare him for school and to receive the academic preparation in a setting that we couldn’t provide at home. ELC has worked with us, been open and honest, and allowed us to make the best decisions possible for our child’s future. They have always listened to our concerns and helped us find solutions. - The Reed Family

We love sending Rylee to ELC, we truly trust them with her care and they treat her so well! She loves going to school and is sad when it isn’t a school day for her! She is now able to recite the alphabet and count to 10 along with counting objects! She started ELC unable to do either of those! I love the variety in the days and schedules so it fits more families. I also love the classroom environment and feel preschool is very important to teach children social and educational skills that are key to being successful in kindergarten! - The Herron Family

My son enjoys the one-on-one teaching that is provided to him. This is the first year my son has attended any type of structured school. He thrives on the teaching method and he has learned a lot. He can count, his speech has improved, he listens better, and he is more confident socially. ELC is a great preschool because of the teaching method they provide. They are thorough with every detail in the curriculum and are teaching in a great way. - The Kettinger Family

Our son loves the dramatic play centers and circle time. At the beginning of the year he had a very difficult time expressing his feelings. He has learned how to convey what he is feeling and why in a much more effective and positive way. I have watched him grow so much and I truly feel that is due in part to his preschool program. I like that there is learning through guided play. I appreciate the fact that he is given options and has the opportunity to make some of his own choices while learning. I fee like preschool is a very important tool to prepare a child for their learning career. Preschool helps them to find and discover a love and passion for learning. - The Armstrong Family

We have had the best and most positive experience with everyone at ELC. Our son loves playing at school, which is awesome to me because he doesn’t realize he is learning through playing. He just thinks he is playing with his friends and teachers. He used to be shy and hesitant to leave my side when we were in social settings. Now he knows how to introduce himself and isn’t scared to be in new social settings. This is something we were really excited to see change in him. I like that the teachers work with the parents and set goals for each child. Then when the goals are accomplished they set new ones. I think it is a great stepping stone between being home with parents and being in school full-time. - The Crowe Family

She has learned leaps and bounds since the beginning of school. Patience, determination, perseverance, social skills, and academics are a few of the major areas we have seen improvement. - The Viswanathan Family

He has really opened up to making new friends and his writing skills have definitely improved. He is more expressive in his feelings and loves his teachers and classmates! I believe this school has really helped my son. - The Braga Family

We love it at ELC! This will be my child’s last year and we will be so sad to go. I feel like the staff has helped him become more than ready for Kindergarten! I have really enjoyed watching the kiddos learn at all the new stations. It makes the after-school conversations so interesting! I can’t say enough how the teacher’s big hearts shine through in these kids! One of my favorite parts of this year was when my son read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and sounded just like Ms. Bre! I loved hearing him recite the story differently than how we read it!! I think it’s important for the kids to be ready for kindergarten socially and academically and I think ELC does a great job of preparing them. -The Bellucci Family

My child has learned great social skills. She is learning how to deal with her emotions in a healthy manner. Also, she has learned so much and she already knows most of the things she will learn in kindergarten. This jump-start into her school year is something I couldn’t put a price on. - The Lewis Family

Filosofía

Philosophy:

We believe that all children deserve a safe, loving, and respectful learning environment where they can thrive. We believe that families are essential partners in their children’s learning, and we value the relationships that we build with them. We believe that teachers are professionals who deserve to be supported and valued, and we are committed to providing them with the resources they need to be successful. We believe that a high-quality early childhood education is essential for children’s success, and we are committed to providing all children with access to this opportunity.

Guiding principles:

We believe that all children deserve to feel safe, loved, and respected. We believe that families are essential partners in their children’s learning. We believe that teachers are professionals who deserve to be supported and valued. We believe that a high-quality early childhood education is essential for children’s success.

Ubicación

430 North US Highway 31 Whiteland, Indiana, 46184

Acerca de nuestro programa

The mission of the Early Learning Community is to provide a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment where children, families, and teachers can learn and grow.

Vision

“A world where all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential, through safe, loving, and respectful learning environments that support families and teachers.”

Admisiones

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

Early Learning Community Preschool is a non-profit high-quality early childhood program, located in Johnson County, serving children ages 3 to 5, (Must be 3 and potty trained by August 1st Step 1 - Submit an application online by going to elcwhiteland.com Within the form, you will be asked to schedule a required play date.

Step 2 - Complete a Play Date You must complete a playdate to move forward in this process. Play Dates - Wednesday’s at 5:15pm

Step 3 - Families will be notified of enrollment within one month of their playdate.

Step 4 - Pay the Application Fee 0f $100

Step 5 - Submit All Required Paperwork

Admission opportunities depend on available spaces. Your child’s position will be determined by: Whether your child is a sibling of a currently enrolled student Whether you are an alumni family Families receiving state subsidies (CCDF & OMW) New community families According to our goal of balancing age, gender, temperament, and diversity in the classroom

Families can expect to receive notification of enrollment within one month of their playdate. Due to the limited capacity in our building, ELC Preschool often moves to a waitlist. The waiting list is always open. Priority for enrollment goes first to siblings of currently enrolled students, then to returning families including alumni, and then to new students.