Serving Elkhart Families Since 1969
Elkhart Child Development Center (ECDC) has provided child care on Prairie Street in Elkhart, Indiana, since 1969. The center is board-owned and licensed for 104 children from 6 weeks to 6 years old.
ECDC is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Families can choose full-time care or part-time care two or three days a week, and school-age children can join a summer program.
Play as the Foundation of Learning
ECDC’s philosophy starts from the idea that children learn best by exploring their environment through developmentally appropriate activities. Classrooms are set up to be lively and challenging, with activities that touch every developmental domain: social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and sensory.
Play sits at the center of the day. ECDC treats it as the main way children build critical thinking, self-regulation, and problem-solving skills, by handling real materials and equipment and initiating their own activities rather than just reacting to adults.
Ages served: 6 weeks through 6 years, plus a summer program for school-age children.
Programs, Access, and How to Connect
CACFP / CCDF: ECDC participates in CACFP and serves breakfast, lunch, and two snacks each day to CACFP guidelines, with allowances for allergies. It accepts Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers and Indiana’s On My Way Pre-K vouchers, and uses a sliding fee scale.
Contact: 2121 Prairie Street, Elkhart, IN 46517. Call 574-293-5316, email info@ecdcenter.org, or visit ecdcenter.org.
The Playground team has combined decades of experience in the child care industry, ranging from care itself to business management to subsidy administration to strategic marketing. In addition to creating a variety of free resources for the child care industry, the Playground team produces Early Childhood Investigations webinars to help child care directors and teachers earn professional development credit and valuable experience. Additionally, founders Daniel Andrews and Sasha Reiss co-authored the book “More Than Tuition: Financial Leadership and Growth Marketing for Early Childhood Programs” and frequently speak at industry events including for NECPA, NCCA, AELL, and soon NAEYC.
Year founded
1969
Locations
1
States
Indiana
Children in care
Licensed for 104 children
Age range
6 weeks – 6 years
Religious affiliation
None
Ownership
Board-owned
Food program
Yes
Accepts subsidy
Yes, including On My Way Pre-K vouchers
Contact
