ECEC Scholarship Applications

We are pleased to announce the following scholarships are available for currently enrolled children for the 2013-2014 school year:

- Early Childhood Education Center Child Tuition Award
- Parent Association Tuition Award
- Jack Finkelstein Memorial Scholarship Award

These awards provide financial support to families who might otherwise be unable to afford their education or quality care for their children.  The amount awarded will be determined by available funds and the applicant's need.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS are available on the ECEC website. Applications are due in the office by Friday, October 11, 2013.

Better Made Potato Chip Fundraiser

The Early Childhood Education Center is pleased to announce our annual Better Made Potato Chip Fundraiser.  You can support the ECEC and a Michigan company at the same time.  Chips are $16.00 per case of 50 bags - only 32 cents per bag!  These snacks are great for lunches and also make neat Halloween treats. Proceeds go to the ECEC scholarship fund to assist families in need of tuition support for their children.  Last year, you helped the ECEC raise over $1,500 from this fundraiser.

Please return ORDER FORMS with payment by Thursday, October 17, 2013 (makes checks payable to ECEC Parent Association).  Orders will be available for pick up on Fri., October 25th & Mon., October 28th at the ECEC. 

Family Meet & Greet / Parent Association Meeting

A big thank you to everyone that attended the CEF Family Fun Day last week. Our next event is a family Meet & Greet this Friday, September 20th from 8:00-9:00 a.m. followed at 9:00 a.m. with the first Parent Association Meeting of the school year. 

The Meet & Greet will be in the art studio and front stage area. Take a few minutes with your child to enjoy a light refreshment and talk with the teachers and meet other parents. Then join us in the Seminar Room located at the front of the building to help plan events, fundraisers and share your ideas at the Parent Association meeting. We will have committee sign-up sheets for areas of need in the center; the children's garden, repairs, fundraisers,etc. We will also have information available about Parent Association board members if you are interested in serving on our board.

CEF & ECEC Family Fun Day

Please join us for the annual CEF & ECEC Family Fun Day on Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on the playground.  The is a FREE event with live entertainment fun family activities and great food. The schedule for the day is as follows:

1:00-2:30 p.m.
Food



1:00-3:00 p.m.
Clowns & Face Painting
Bounce Houses
Woodworking
Crafts







3:00-4:00 p.m.
Special Guest Appearance by Detroit Piston's Hooper


3:30-4:00 p.m.
Dunk Tank





Special thanks to our volunteers and event sponsors Schwynn Family Foundation, Binson's, Wright & Filippis, Medtronics, Dearborn Sausage, Tim Horton's, Absopure, Westborn Market and UM-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center.

New Teachers & New School Year!

Jennifer Jacobs

We are pleased to announce that the ECEC has hired Mrs. Jennifer Jacobs. Mrs. Jacobs has her Master’s Degree in Education as well as the Early Childhood Endorsement (ZA) and is a graduate of the UM-Dearborn’s School of Education. Mrs. Jacobs recently taught preschool in the Van Buren Public Schools. We are excited to have Mrs. Jacobs join our teaching team.

Brooke Holman

In Spring the ECEC was awarded additional Great Start Readiness Program grant funds for the 2013-2014 school year. A new classroom has been added and I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Brooke Holman and Ms. Danielle Muehlenbein will be co-teaching in this classroom. Mrs. Holman is a graduate of the UM-Dearborn School of Education with her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education as well as her Early Childhood Endorsement (ZA). 

Dana Fennessey

We are also pleased to announce that Ms. Dana Fennessey has joined our teaching team as a co-teacher with Ms. Caryn Finkelstein in the four year old classroom. Ms. Fennessey is also a graduate of the UM-Dearborn School of Education with her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and her Early Childhood Endorsement (ZA). Ms. Muehlenbein and Ms. Finkelstein's biographies can be found on our Personnel page along with all of our returning teachers. We will be updating the biographies for our new teaching staff within the next week.

We are excited to begin the new school year with all of our new and returning families. Please keep checking our blog for upcoming announcements and events.

ECEC Family Picnic

Join us for the annual ECEC Family Picnic on Friday, June 14, 2013 from 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. on the ECEC playground.

Mingle with other families, enjoy the inflated obstacle courses and great food!  Please bring blankets and/or lawn chairs for seating.

Sign up in your child's classroom to bring a dish to pass.  Please make the dish size proportionate to the number of people you bring to the picnic.

Please note: Families are responsible for their children during the picnic. 

Mary Louise Hemmeter - Vanderbilt University

The Early Childhood Education Center is offering FREE admission for UM-Dearborn SOE early childhood students for a presentation by Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Hemmeter will present "We Are All in This Together: Preventing and Addressing Challenging Behavior" on Thursday, May 2, 2013 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall B of the Social Science Building.

Addressing the needs of children with challenging behavior can be challenging and frustrating for parents, teachers and other caregivers.  This presentation will focus on strategies for preventing and addressing challenging behavior as well as how to provide supports to the adults who work with young children with challenging behavior.  The presentation will include a description of a framework for promoting social emotional competence and preventing and addressing challenging behaviors, videotaped examples of strategies associated with that framework, and a team based approach for supporting children with the most significant behavioral needs.

To attend for at no cost, please RSVP to liasim@umich.edu with your name, referencing the Inclusion Conference and bring this flyer with your student ID to the registration table on the date of the presentation.