Emmanuel STEM International Wonderschool

Our Teachers

Hi, I’m Dr. Lydia Amewu-Sirleaf, I am a mother, a student, and an educator. Born and raised in Tema, Ghana, I was brought up with the understanding that the promise of a brighter, more successful future began with a strong educational background.

It is important to ascertain this understanding from a young age. A perspective that I instilled in my children, and hope to carry on, is that the world is a global village. In a village, in order to ensure the success of the community, we must build ourselves up to our fullest potential as well as building up those around us. Progress is powered from within.

This philosophy propelled me through the obstacles that life presented. I reminded myself of this when I received my Bachelors from the University of Education Winneba, and while I studied for my Masters and PhD in Educational Administration at the University of Denver. ​

Olivia Wagner is the Assistant Director at ESTEMI. She graduated 2017 from California State University, Sacramento in 2017 with a Bachelors Degree in Government. After undergrad, Olivia went on to earn a Level 2 Early Childhood Credential. Now Olivia is working towards her Masters in Early Childhood Education. When Olivia is not at school or working, you can find her adventuring with her Husband Travis and her puppy Wrigley.

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Philosophy

We strive to create young scholars that have the skills, discipline and motivation to empower them to be academically successful global citizens. We believe every child is uniquely created with inherent abilities to reach their maximum potential and that it is our responsibility to team with parents as professional caregivers in providing a safe, loving environment that will stimulate a love for learning. During these critical years of brain development, we are committed to help shape the way your child thinks, feels, behaves and learns through various enrichment activities.

In the early years of development between birth and 2 we focus on the establishment of routines and the creation of a conducive environment for your child and every child to feel safe, nurtured, and empowered to develop their executive function. For children ages 2 to 5, we endeavor to promote trusting and responsive relationships with every child in order to facilitate the love for learning.

The staff of Emmanuel STEM International Preschool share our unified vision and mission and are equally passionate about facilitating learning and the development of the executive functions of every child. ​

​”Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

Location

Emmanuel STEM International Wonderschool is located in a charming, welcoming single family home in the Aurora neighborhood.

We’ve designed our care environment with play and learning areas that allow children to explore various developmentally-appropriate activities based on their interests. Some of our favorite areas include music and movement area (for physical activity and cultural learning), nature area (for discovering nature and science concepts), and sensory area (for spatial awareness and learning through the five senses).

Children will spend about half of their time outdoors in my private yard or outdoor space. Connecting with nature is vital to a child’s happiness and growth.

At Emmanuel STEM International Wonderschool, I want to provide an enriching environment where children feel free to explore and play.

About our program

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++The following are incorporated into the ESTEMI program: ++

Collaborative Learning

ESTEMI is passionate about the concept of the “Whole Child”. We strive daily to cultivate independent thinking as well as respect and acceptance of differences and empathy for all. Through small and large group interactions, ESTEMI eagles play, learn and come to appreciate one another.

Scientific Exploration

The children of ESTEMI are the future scientists, engineers, doctors, researchers, etc. of the world. How do we know? We create and experience the love for science through daily age-appropriate fun science explorations by using scientific processes of hypothesizing, investigating, creating, reflecting, making changes and recreating while we play.

Cognitive Development

We nurture and sustain our kids’ interest in reading, writing, and counting while encouraging the recognition of shapes and colors with the objective of developing critical thinking skills, problem-solving instincts, and self-regulation for greater focus and attention span.

Math Exploration

Mathematics is a specific way of thinking and all kids of all cultures do this quite naturally. Through counting and recognition of shapes, ESTEMI eagles are encouraged daily to explore the abstractions of math to grow our math capacities and capabilities.

Literacy Development

ESTEMI eagles are urged and guided to communicate needs and wants in a both age and socially appropriate way. By means of effective communication strategies, vocabulary exploration, writing skills, daily story reading on general and specific knowledge acquisition this goal is accomplished.

Physical Development

At ESTEMI, our eagles are given support to engage in fine and gross motor activities as we endeavor to promote hand and eye coordination and balance. We believe a well-rested and nourished child can sustain the energy level requirements for our indoor and outdoor activities.

Socio-Emotional Development

As ESTEMI Kids play and learn, they explore curiosity, respect and how accommodate each other needs, recognize and appreciate authority to enable us to develop our executive functions: positive behavior, building and sustaining productive social relationships, nurturing self-confidence, self-esteem and the empathy to engage in self-expression.

Sensory Exploration

Through diverse sensory play activities, ESTEMI eagles navigate the senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. These strategic activities facilitate exploration and stimulation of the senses.

Global Perspective

Research over the years has given the credence to the importance of global perspectives and environmental influences in early cognitive and social development. At ESTEMI, kids are pushed to champion their respective interdependent and Interconnectedness on each other by appreciating one another’s uniqueness and the richness of the benefit of each other’s differences.

Admissions

Join the Emmanuel STEM International Wonderschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Emmanuel STEM International Wonderschool unique. Please schedule a tour or attend an Open House event.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.