St. Matthew's UME Education Center
Preschool in Bowie, MD 20715
Since its inception in 1965, St. Matthews United Methodist Nursery School and Kindergarten has been an important resource for young families in the Bowie area. Developed as a community outreach ministry, church members created a program to enrich the emotional, social, physical, and intellectual lives of young children. In the Methodist tradition of providing opportunities for spiritual and intellectual growthfor people from all faiths and walks of life, St. Matthews EEC welcomes children, families, and staff of all races, religions, and national origins.
In 1988, in response to the changing demographics of our community, St. Matthews added chld care to its preschool classes and became St. Matthews United Methodist Early Education Center. Today, our dedicated and caring staff have the great joy of serving 250 enthusiastic children and families. Together, we form a warm and welcoming community of learners.
- Child Ages:
- 2 years - 9 years
- Rates:
- $$$
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- Maryland State Department of Education Division of Early Childhood Development
- Preschool:
- Yes
- Children per Teacher:
- Infant: -/-, Toddler: -/-, Pre k: 7/1, Afterschool: -/-
- Hours of Operation:
- Monday - Friday: 7 AM - 6:00 PM
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Our program provides a happy, enriching, and productive first school experience for young children. It is our firm belief that positive attitudes formed in the crucial first years will continue throughout our students lives, and that well-planned learning experiences in the early years will benefit not only the individual child, but the community and country as well.
The EECs program is developmental in approach with emphasis placed on the child learning and achieving at an individually appropriate level. Within our predictable daily schedule, there is moderate structure, flexibility in attitudes and methods, and the belief that each child must be free to gain confidence in his/her abilities. There is a time for structured activities when the teacher can present cognitive training or materials to a small group. There is order and routine as children clean up, get ready for different activities, follow directions, and recognize the needs and rights of others. There is also a time for free play when a wide variety of materials and experiences are available for children to make choices. In the words of James Hymes, free play is thinking time for young children, language time, problem solving time, memory time, planning time, investigating time, organization of ideas time In the words of young children, free play is fun!
