Woodcliff Early Childhood Center

Welcome to Woodcliff Early Childhood Center!

At Woodcliff Early Childhood Center (WECC), we believe in nurturing young minds through creativity, curiosity, and exploration. Our approach to early childhood education combines play-based learning with a tailored curriculum designed to ignite imaginations and lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Our passionate educators are dedicated to providing a nurturing environment where your child can thrive, explore, and ignite their imagination.

Courtney Van Heck
Director of Early Childhood

Program Information

Preschool

Preschool Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum

Handwriting Without Tears:

Integration of a developmentally appropriate handwriting program that focuses on fine motor skills and letter formation.
Activities designed to make the learning of handwriting an engaging and enjoyable experience for preschoolers.

Zoo-Phonics:

Implementation of a phonics program using a multisensory approach with animals and movements.
Enhances early literacy skills through an interactive and playful learning environment.

Heggerty:

Integration of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program to support the development of phonological awareness skills.
Activities designed to strengthen children's understanding of sounds and their relationship to letters.

Bridges:

Inclusion of the Bridges in Mathematics program to foster early math skills.
Engaging activities and games that promote a conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts.

Second Steps:

Implementation of the Second Steps Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program.
Activities to support the development of social skills, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution.

Enrichment Activities

Music:

Incorporation of music activities to enhance auditory perception, rhythm, and coordination.
Exposure to various musical genres and instruments to stimulate creativity.

Differentiation

Individualized Approaches:

Recognition of the unique strengths, interests, and learning styles of each child.
Differentiated instruction to accommodate varying levels of readiness and abilities.
Ongoing assessment and adjustment of teaching methods to ensure optimal learning for all students.

Woodcliff currently has the following preschool programs for the 2025-2026 school year:

AM Programming (8:30AM to 11:15AM)

T/Th AM 3-year-old preschool
Monday through Friday AM 3-year-old preschool
Monday through Friday AM 4 year-old-preschool

All Day Programming Monday through Friday (8:30AM to 3:00PM)

All Day 3-year-old preschool
All Day 3/4-year old preschool
All Day 4-year-old preschool
All Day 4/5-year-old preschool
All Day 5-year-old preschool

Please see our enrollment page for more details.

Child Care

Woodcliff’s hours of operation are from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to allow for flexible scheduling to meet families’ needs. Please see the below to help families understand the difference between our preschool and child care programs that we currently offer.

Educational Focus

Woodcliff’s Preschool Program: Emphasizes early childhood education through structured learning activities designed to prepare children for kindergarten and beyond. Curriculum may include pre-literacy, math readiness, social skills development, and creative expression.
Child Care Program: Primarily focuses on providing a safe and nurturing environment for children. While our child care program may incorporate some educational elements, the primary goal is supervision and care rather than formal education.

Structured Learning vs. Free Play

Preschool Program: Offers structured learning activities guided by a curriculum, where children engage in age-appropriate educational experiences designed to promote cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.
Child Care Program: Provides a balance of structured activities and free play opportunities, allowing children to explore their interests and develop social skills in a relaxed setting.

Duration and Schedule

Preschool Program: Families have part-time or full-time schedules during school hours, with a focus on preparing children for the transition to kindergarten at Woodcliff.
Child Care Program: Offers flexible scheduling options, including full-day care, extended hours, and before/after-school care.

Teacher Qualifications

Preschool Program: Staffed by early childhood educators or teachers with specialized training in child development and early education, often requiring higher educational qualifications and certification.
Child Care Program: Staff with varying levels of education and experience in child care, including caregivers, aides, and assistants focused on providing a safe and nurturing environment for children.

WECC Child Care offers the following options:

Before-School Care - 7:00 - 8:30 a.m.
AM Care - 8:30 a.m. - 11:15 p.m.
PM Care - 11:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
After-School Care - 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Please see our enrollment page for more information.

Enrollment

Camp East

At Camp East, we believe in the power of play, imagination, and discovery. Our dynamic program is designed to ignite curiosity, foster friendships, and inspire a love for the great outdoors. From thrilling outdoor adventures to engaging arts and crafts, each day is packed with exciting activities that encourage campers to learn, grow, and embrace new challenges.

Our Camp structure allows campers to experience local activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the Camp week. We look into many different adventures each summer to create a dynamic experience for the campers. During our field trip days students will be off site from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

When the campers are on site at Woodcliff Early Childhood Center the counselors will engage them in arts and crafts as well as science experiments. We also have many local assemblies and shows come to Woodcliff to fill their summer days with experiences that raise curiosity and promote education throughout the summer months.

For more information and to register, please visit our enrollment page.

Courtney Van Heck
Director of Early Childhood

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Woodcliff Playground Guidelines

Playground

We will be receiving new signs for our playground. During school hours, we kindly ask that families and community members refrain from using the playgrounds. As soon as we are able to utilize more of the grass area, we will be allowing parents at pick up time to remain on the playground for a 15 minute window. I will keep families posted as to when this will be! Thank you for your patience.

Half day programming can now use the playground from 11:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at pick up time before classes utilize for lunch.

Playground A (Ages 4 & Under):

Hours of Operation:

School use only: Monday through Friday 7AM to 6PM

Community use after 6PM on weekdays. Weekends open for use.

For children ages 4 and under
Adult supervision required at all times
No dogs, food, alcoholic beverages, or glass allowed in play area
Use equipment safely and be respectful of others

Playground B (Ages 5 & Up):

Hours of Operation:

School use only: Monday through Friday 7AM to 6PM

Community use after 6PM on weekdays. Weekends open for use.

For children ages 5 and older
Adult supervision recommended
No dogs, food, alcoholic beverages, or glass allowed in play area
Use equipment safely and be respectful of others

Lost and Found at WECC

Our lost and found items are donated over the each school break (December, February, April) unless there was a name on the items. Please be sure to take a look at the lost and found periodically to ensure your child's items are accounted for. Labeling all items is very helpful as we do try our best to return items found to the right student/class in a timely manner. We also donate items prior to Camp East beginning.

Our Team

Courtney Van Heck, Preschool Director

Michelle Clark, Administrative Assistant

Contact

Phone: 616-235-7595

Fax: 616-235-6730

Calendar

2025-2026 Calendar