Lakeland Hills YMCA Early Childhood Learning Center
The mission of our Early Childhood Learning Center is to provide a loving, supportive, safe, and educational environment for the children in our care. We offer a program for children ages 2½ – 6 years old, that meets the intellectual, moral, social, emotional, and physical needs of each child. We strive to create an atmosphere of acceptance in which the individual needs of each child are considered and where they can flourish and grow under the guidance of qualified staff.
Marion Mann Roberts Early Childhood Learning Center
The Lakeland Hills Family YMCA offers a variety of Preschool & Pre-K program options to meet the various needs within our community.
We have been providing Preschool and Pre-K programs to inspire young minds for over 30 years:
- Full day options
- Membership not required
- STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) curriculum with SMARTBoard and tablet technology
- Swim lessons (must be 3 and potty trained) and gym classes included
- Fitness and nutrition program
- Music instruction
- Spanish curriculum
- Hot lunch included in tuition
- Enrichment options – ballet, sports, gymnastics, karate and tumbling (additional fee required)
- Financial Assistance available
- Hours of operation 7:30AM – 6:00PM
Our Teachers Commitment to Children
Our teachers follow the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) core belief system:
- Excellence and Innovation: We are imaginative risk takers willing to challenge assumptions while being accountable to our mission and fiscally responsible.
- Transparency: We act with openness and clarity.
- Reflection: We consider multiple sources of evidence and diverse perspectives to review past performance, note progress and successes, and engage in continuous quality improvement.
- Equity & Opportunity: We advocate for policies, practices, and systems that promote full and inclusive participation. We confront biases that create barriers and limit the potential of children, families, and early childhood professionals.
- Collaborative Relationships: We share leadership and responsibility in our work with others. We commit time and effort to ensure diverse participation and more effective outcomes. We act with integrity, respect, and trust
We commit to developing the character of each child and to promote an environment of honesty, kindness, respect, and responsibility.
Schedule a personal appointment with Michele Leaman, Early Childhood Learning Center Director! Choose a time that is convenient for you, whether virtual or in-person.
Tour our Early Childhood Learning Center in person, ask Michele any questions you may have, and discover for yourself why we have been nurturing and enriching young minds for over 50 years!
Early Childhood Learning Center Director, Michele Leaman, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services/Child Development and a Master’s Degree in Child Advocacy and Welfare, along with a Montessori certification. Michele’s has worked at early childhood learning centers as an educator/School Director and Senior Director of Education for over 30 years. Previous to her extensive experience in education, she worked as a Quality Assurance Inspector for the State of New Jersey Department of Children and Families.
Michele Leaman
Childcare Director
973-507-7014
Our Curriculum
We take all aspects of a child’s learning into consideration when planning age-appropriate curriculum: academic, social, and emotional. Our school uses the Creative Curriculum because we feel that it is the most in line with our mission of developing the whole child. The Creative Curriculum is a hands-on approach to learning where children work in small and large groups to problem-solve, create, and explore. However, we know that all children are individuals and therefore learn differently. We respect this fact and utilize components and standards of multiple curriculums to meet the personal developmental level of each child including STEAM, technology, music, and foreign language. This promotes a steady progressive pace where children achieve success.
In addition to academic learning, our curriculum promotes social and emotional growth – children learn best through experience and play. Setting up imaginative play stations that promote cooperation, kindness, communication, conversation, taking turns, and problem solving, help children learn “to be part of a group” are all part of everyday learning in our center. Swimming instruction, gym classes, foreign language exposure, and formal music/drama instruction add additional creative outlets for our young students.
Our curriculum includes the academic and development stages according to the CDC. For more information see the CDC Developmental Milestones here.
Preschool & PreK Full Day Details
Our full day program takes advantage of exposing children to a variety of academic, social, and enrichment activities in the morning hours with outdoor time, lunch and rest (for those under 4 years) following afterward. After waking from rest time, the Head Teacher and Assistant Teacher prepare the children for the exciting transition to afternoon recreation time. Beginning at 3pm, activities are structured to give children the opportunity to play with and learn from children of various ages.
We take full advantage of all the Y facility has to offer: gym space, multi-purpose room space, program room, outdoor playground. In summary, our AM hours are devoted to curriculum learning while our PM hours are packed with good old fashioned children’s play, noise and laughter after a day of school.
Why Choose “Y” Preschool and PreK
(Ages 2 ½ – 6 Years Old)
The Creative Curriculum for our preschool is a comprehensive, research-based approach that teaches children to be creative, confident thinkers through hands-on experiences. The ten content areas are social-emotional, language, physical, cognitive, literacy, mathematics, science and technology, social studies, the arts and English language acquisition.
