Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)

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Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) ECDC Program Description~
Located on the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's campuses in South Bend, IN. Play can be spontaneous or organized.

ECDC is a NAEYC accredited, non-profit early childhood program serving 300 children ages 2 years through kindergarten with a staff of 45 professionals. ECDC at Notre Dame serves approx. 175 children enrolled with a combination of full time and part times schedules, ages 2 through kindergarten in 6 classrooms. ECDC at Saint Mary's serves approx. 125 children enrolled with a combination of full time and part time schedules ages 3 through 5 years in 4 preschool classrooms. Both ECDC programs are housed in bright and welcoming spaces providing state of the art early childhood experiences fostering a love of learning while developing competent, confident learners. ECDC serves diverse populations of families in the Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and South
Bend communities. ECDC at Saint Mary's is open to the public while ECDC at
Notre Dame only serves families affiliated with the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College. For over 35 years, ECDC has earned its stellar reputation for excellence with a dedicated and skilled group of professional teachers, involved families and college students in a vibrant community. Both ECDC programs offer a summer day camp program rich with recreational activities and natural world learning experiences for children through age ten. ECDC embraces play in the lives of the little ones in our program. Play is an activity we do for enjoyment, either alone or with others. A good balance of both types is best. Research shows that play is a must for the social, physical, intellectual and emotional development of children. Through play children learn;
- language
- thinking
- problem solving
- socializing
- hand-eye coordination
- self esteem
- confidence
- imagination
- observation
- self regulation
- sharing
- collaboration

The ECDC-SMC 4’s School Family loves bringing storybooks to life through creativity! 📚🎨Stories spark imagination, conver...
10/18/2026

The ECDC-SMC 4’s School Family loves bringing storybooks to life through creativity! 📚🎨

Stories spark imagination, conversation, and new ideas—and art gives children another language for expressing what they are thinking, wondering, and noticing.

When books and creativity come together, children strengthen comprehension, vocabulary, sequencing, fine-motor skills, problem-solving, and self-expression—all while making meaningful connections to the stories they love. ✨

🎃📚 Books Can Help With Big FeelingsHalloween can bring lots of excitement — but for some children, it can also bring fea...
10/18/2026

🎃📚 Books Can Help With Big Feelings

Halloween can bring lots of excitement — but for some children, it can also bring fear, worry, and anxiety.

Since October is National Book Month, it’s a wonderful reminder that books can help children understand and work through big emotions, including the scary ones.

One favorite is Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival, a story that helps children see that worries can feel smaller when we talk about them with someone we trust.

Books like this can open the door to meaningful conversations:
💬 What are you worried about?
💛 Who helps you feel safe?
🌱 What can you do when a worry feels too big?

Stories give children language for their feelings and remind them that it is okay to feel worried — and okay to ask for help.

📖 A perfect October read for home, classrooms, and early learning programs.

With thanks and credit to Reach Out and Read and their newsletter, We’re Batty for Books!

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10/18/2026

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The ECDC-SMC 4- and 5-year-olds explored a new form of process art: scrape painting! 🎨After squeezing small drops of pai...
10/17/2026

The ECDC-SMC 4- and 5-year-olds explored a new form of process art: scrape painting! 🎨

After squeezing small drops of paint onto one end of the paper, the children used sturdy pieces of cardboard to pull and scrape the paint across the page—watching colors blend, streak, overlap, and change along the way.

This kind of process art supports so much learning. As children experiment with pressure, direction, color, and movement, they are building fine-motor strength, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, creativity, and an early understanding of cause and effect. They are also making predictions, noticing patterns, and adjusting their ideas based on what they observe.

There is no single “right” result—just rich opportunities to explore, experiment, discover, and create something uniquely their own. ✨

💜 Flashback Friday: Remembering T. Berry Brazelton 💜T. Berry Brazelton reminded us that attachment isn’t built in a sing...
10/17/2026

💜 Flashback Friday: Remembering T. Berry Brazelton 💜

T. Berry Brazelton reminded us that attachment isn’t built in a single moment—it grows through connection, care, and everyday interactions. For 30 years, his vision has inspired our work to support stronger relationships, stronger families, and brighter futures.

Learn more about T. Berry Brazelton here https://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org/about/our-founder/

🎨🌿 Creativity Builds Resilience!Creativity is more than artistic expression. It is a powerful way to reduce stress, spar...
10/17/2026

🎨🌿 Creativity Builds Resilience!

Creativity is more than artistic expression. It is a powerful way to reduce stress, spark fresh ideas, solve problems, and find joy in everyday life!

In her Edutopia article, "Boosting Resilience Through Creativity", Elena Aguilar reminds us:

“Creativity unlocks inner resources for dealing with stress, solving problems, and enjoying life. When we are creative, we are resourceful, and we problem solve in new and original ways.”

💡 And here’s something fascinating! Creativity and relaxation go hand in hand. Aguilar shares how relaxed states of mind can help us experience those wonderful “aha!” moments when new solutions and possibilities suddenly emerge.

Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to step away from it!

🌱 Take a walk in nature.
🎨 Paint, draw, or create something just for fun.
🎶 Listen to music or move to a favorite song.
🌻 Explore, imagine, and play without a particular outcome in mind.
💛 Give yourself permission to slow down and let your mind wander.

For young children and adults alike, opportunities for creativity, play, and exploration nurture flexibility, resourcefulness, emotional well-being, and resilience.

A little food for thought:
When was the last time you gave yourself the freedom to be creative, simply for the joy of it?

📖 Inspired by Elena Aguilar's *Boosting Resilience Through Creativity*, published by Edutopia.

Such joyful, play-filled outdoor learning at ECDC-SMC! 🌳☀️Hoops, rope climbers, slides, trikes—and plenty of nature and ...
10/16/2026

Such joyful, play-filled outdoor learning at ECDC-SMC! 🌳☀️

Hoops, rope climbers, slides, trikes—and plenty of nature and trees to explore. Children are building confidence, strength, coordination, problem-solving skills, and independence through active outdoor play.

We love seeing ECDC-SMC children enjoy opportunities for exciting, adventurous, and appropriately risky play through climbing, exploring, moving, and discovering! 🌿🚲🛝

Food for thought!What if young children had more time to simply slow down, go outside, explore, and wonder?🌿 Hands-on ex...
10/16/2026

Food for thought!

What if young children had more time to simply slow down, go outside, explore, and wonder?

🌿 Hands-on experiences in nature
☀️ Unstructured time for outdoor play
🔎 Adults as enthusiastic co-discoverers who value children’s curiosity and questions
🍂 Open-ended materials from nature — rocks, leaves, nuts, sticks, water, mud, and more
💛 Time to wonder, investigate, create, imagine, and discover

Supporting a sense of wonder means giving children time and space to notice, question, explore, and make discoveries for themselves.

Sometimes the richest learning experiences come from a slower pace, fewer adult-directed activities, and more opportunities for children to follow their curiosity.

A slow-down lifestyle can make room for deep play, meaningful connection, joyful discovery, and a lifelong sense of wonder.

Truth! 💛What uncomfortable conversation have you had that took real courage—but afterward, you were so grateful you foun...
10/16/2026

Truth! 💛

What uncomfortable conversation have you had that took real courage—but afterward, you were so grateful you found the courage to have it?

Sometimes the conversations we most want to avoid are the ones that lead to the greatest clarity, growth, understanding, or change.

No names, please ..... but we’d love to hear what you learned from choosing courage over comfort.

Loving our ECDC outside play time! 💚 🍂
10/15/2026

Loving our ECDC outside play time! 💚 🍂

Address

10 Child Care Ctr
Notre Dame, IN
46556

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7am - 5:30pm
Friday 7am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+1 574-631-3344

Website

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