Our Approach to Learning
At EDDC, every child is welcomed into a nurturing environment where they are known, loved, and encouraged to grow. Our teachers build trusted relationships with every child and family, creating a sense of family where children feel safe to explore and build confidence.
Open communication between teachers and parents ensures that each child’s experience at the Center is supported both in the classroom and at home. Weekly themes and age-appropriate activities guide children from play-based discovery in our youngest classes to more structured skill-building in our older ones. Along the way, children develop the academic basics, life skills, and social foundations that prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
EDDC follows an August to August school year, and class placement is based on each child’s age as of September 1st.
Classes by Age
Infants
Celebrating Every First Milestone
Our warm, loving infant room celebrates your baby’s first milestones with joy and expert care, from rolling over and sitting up to crawling, standing, and taking those first brave steps. Our days are filled with enriching activities like buggy rides, singing, storytime, and sensory finger-painting. By building trusting relationships with each child and family, our teachers provide the patience, love, and encouragement to lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Toddlers
Exploring the World Through Play
Our toddler classrooms encourage learning through exploration, play, building friendships and developing confidence in a safe, stimulating and loving environment. Through hands-on activities, music, stories, art, sensory play, outdoor exploration and lots of laughter, we help your child reach important developmental milestones while making learning fun. We believe the best learning happens when families and teachers work together as a team, building confidence, independence, friendships and a lifelong love of learning.
Twos
Growing Skills, Growing Independence
Two-year-olds develop large and small motor skills through running safely outdoors and stacking blocks indoors, and language skills by speaking in short phrases and following two-step directions. Thinking is encouraged by early logic tasks like sorting shapes, matching colors and using their imagination, while independence is gained through potty training, washing hands and cleaning up toys. We foster social-emotional skills by sharing toys, taking turns and identifying big emotions. At this age they are blossoming with curiosity and independence, and our classrooms nurture their development through play-based learning, gentle guidance, clear routines and safe opportunities to explore.
Pre-K Threes
Building Foundations for School and Life
Our Threes class focuses on building the essential skills children need for school and for life, emphasizing social-emotional growth, language development, increasing independence, and the foundational tools that support lifelong learning. Children experience a healthy balance of play-based learning, structured group activities, and hands-on exploration, building friendships, practicing cooperation, and developing confidence as capable learners. Progress is tracked against age-appropriate milestones in social-emotional development, language and literacy, motor skills, and creative expression, with annual parent-teacher conferences to celebrate each child’s progress. Potty training is not required for the Threes class; our teachers are happy to support this milestone at each child’s own pace.
Pre-K Fours
Ready for Kindergarten and Beyond
The Pre-K program supports kindergarten readiness and whole-child development in a warm, encouraging classroom environment. Students practice listening, following directions, recognizing letters and numbers, developing early writing skills, working cooperatively, completing tasks, and building the independence needed for a smooth transition to kindergarten. Children are also encouraged to grow socially and emotionally by building friendships, sharing, taking turns, solving problems, and following classroom routines, everyday experiences that develop confidence, kindness, patience, and respect for others. Through stories, songs, role-play, daily conversations, group activities, and arts and crafts, children strengthen communication and practice problem-solving skills. Our staff is dedicated to building lasting relationships with students and their families.
Enrichment Opportunities
Room to Grow, Ways to Explore
At EDDC, learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door. Through trusted partnerships and talented staff, we bring kids fitness, language, dance, and hands-on adventure, all woven right into their week. These enrichment programs build confidence, curiosity, and new skills, while keeping things fun and age-appropriate. Explore what makes an EDDC week so much more than childcare.
Stretch-n-Grow
EDDC partners with Stretch-n-Grow, the world’s largest network of certified youth fitness professionals, to bring weekly, on-site fitness enrichment to our students. Through active, engaging 30-minute sessions, kids build strength, coordination, and healthy habits in a fun, high-energy environment. Sessions are led by certified children’s fitness professionals and are included in tuition at no extra charge. Available for Toddlers and above.
Spanish (Optional)
Through our partnership with Culture Kids, children ages 3–5 have the opportunity to explore Spanish language and world cultures in a fun, immersive setting. Using games, songs, crafts, role play, and hands-on activities, Culture Kids’ native-speaking teachers make language learning feel like play. Classes are held weekly on Thursday afternoons and are offered for a small additional fee ($8–$10 per class, depending on enrollment), payable quarterly directly to Culture Kids.
Dance (Optional)
Our weekly dance classes, taught by EDDC’s own Pam Beaty, give children ages 3–5 a joyful outlet for creativity and movement, conveniently offered right here at school. Classes are tailored to each age group and set to music the kids love, offering a fun and creative outlet children look forward to each week.
Splash Days (Summer only)
During the summer months, EDDC makes the most of our outdoor spaces every Friday by setting up safe, age-appropriate water activities for children to enjoy during their regularly-scheduled outside time. It’s a refreshing way for kids to stay active and embrace the outdoors even on the hottest Texas days, and a summer tradition our students look forward to every week.
Field Trips (Older classes)
For our older classes, teacher-planned field trips extend classroom learning beyond our walls with hands-on experiences in the wider world. From the zoo, aquarium, and museums to seasonal outings like the pumpkin patch, these trips connect what children are learning in the classroom to real-world discovery. Parent chaperones are always welcome and encouraged to be part of the fun.
Family Events
EDDC’s volunteer Parent Group organizes family events throughout the year, including the Fall Carnival, the December Holiday Party, and more, bringing families together in a fun, relaxed setting outside of school hours. These events are an important part of the EDDC experience, and one of the many ways families stay connected beyond the classroom.
Meals
At EDDC, fresh, nutritious meals are part of every child’s day, included in tuition at no extra charge. Every day, we serve a hot lunch along with morning and afternoon snacks, with milk, juice, or water provided throughout the day. Meals are prepared by a professional caterer, thoughtfully designed to be both nutritionally balanced and kid-friendly. Monthly menus are shared with families in advance, keeping parents informed of what their child is eating each day. You can view our current menus here. Tuition includes all meals and snacks.
Friday Night Sitting
For parents who could use an extra night of flexibility, an EDDC teacher is available to babysit at the Center every Friday evening from 6pm to midnight, giving EDDC families a convenient, familiar childcare option from a trusted caregiver. During the month of December, sitting is available on both Fridays and Saturdays.
Friday Night Sitting is offered to enrolled EDDC students on a sign-up basis at $40 for one child and $20 for each additional child, payable directly to the sitter. Please note that Friday Night Sitting is an independent arrangement between families and the sitter, and is not part of EDDC’s official operations.