Saint
Francis Xavier CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Early Childhood
A Growing and Welcoming Communit
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The mission of the program is simple — “the ECDC is a joyful, nurturing Christ-centered community, rooted in the Catholic faith, providing for the total development of our students through active and engaged learning.”
Ultimately, the Early Childhood Development Center program is a way to evangelize and spread Christ’s message to all who participate.
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t is never too early to instill the teachings of the Catholic faith in our children. The staff at the St. Francis Xavier Early Childhood Development Center, or ECDC, believes that wholeheartedly. That’s why a religion teacher even visits the 1-year-old classroom at the ECDC. Here at St. Francis Xavier, we are so blessed to have a beautiful and functional area for the ECDC. The mission of the program is simple — “the ECDC is a joyful, nurturing Christ-centered community, rooted in the Catholic faith, providing for the total development of our students through active and engaged learning.” “We are happy to say that we continue to grow,” says Claudia Ogrin, who moved here from Texas to serve as ECDC Director. The program, for 1-year-olds to prekindergarten, is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. There are currently about 65 children in the program, including part and full-time. There are four classrooms and 28 staff members. For the 2021-2022 school year, there will be another 3-year-old room added. The schedules for children are flexible for attendance, depending on a parent’s schedule. There is also a summer program that serves children up to age 10. For the upcoming school year, most of the classrooms are full. As Claudia notes, this last school year was “a very different year,” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the school closures, the program also accepted school-age students. A staff member was on hand to help with homework and virtual meetings. Staff also changed the drop-off and pick-up procedures, with parents leaving their child at the door with a staff member, rather than walking them to their classroom. Temperature checks continue to be done at drop-off.
