Our mission

The mission of St. Luke Early Learning Center is to provide a Christian environment where each child's individual development - social, emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual - can be fostered and encouraged. We are dedicated to providing high quality, developmentally appropriate care and education to children.

Curriculum

Structure is an important part of the St. Luke Curriculum - we believe in a planned program of keeping children active, happy, busy, and learning. At St. Luke, we find that if children are busy meeting with success, they are well behaved. Therefore, we alternate active and quiet time periods to provide a balance of small group, large group, individual, teacher-directed and free choice activities.

Accreditation

St. Luke Early Learning Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children - The Center has voluntarily undergone a comprehensive internal self-study, invited external professionals to verify compliance with the Association's High Quality Early Childhood Programs, and been found to be in substantial compliance with the Association's criteria. For more than 20 years, the NAEYC has helped families feel good about the child care programs they choose. The NAEYC Accreditation torch is a sign that children will be safe, healthy, and learning every day.  You may follow this link to read more about NAEYC.

Our History

The St. Luke Early Learning Center has been caring for children for over 25 years! We are a ministry of St. Luke United Methodist Church.

The ELC is largely the result of the vision and persistence of two people, Mr. Bill Turner and Mrs. Virginia Pope. Bill Turner had the dream and Virginia Pope had the experience and knowledge to make the dream a reality. The dream included a full day, quality care program where children would be nurtured in a Christian environment and instilled with Christian values.

With a joint effort on the part of the St. Luke congregation and several Columbus corporations, the Center had a modest beginning in September of 1981. Twenty-five children were enrolled and housed in classrooms that served a dual purpose by providing a space for Sunday School.

As evidence of the quality of care provided, the St. Luke Early Learning Center was accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children for the first time in August of 1996. The center has been reaccredited twice since that time, in 2003 and 2007. The ELC is one of only two childcare centers in Columbus to receive such an accreditation. Through the efforts of the founders along with the dedicated teachers and staff, we are able to provide an unparalleled program for our children to grow.