Early Childhood Education (ECE)

McKinley-Thatcher's Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program is for children who have reached their 4th birthday by October 1. The ECE program provides a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children, while responding to the needs of their families.





Children learn by doing. They acquire knowledge about the physical and social world in which they live through playful interaction with materials and people. The ECE learning environment is structured to provide stimulating and challenging materials and activities for young children. The activities are designed to develop the children's self-esteem and positive feelings toward learning.



The literacy based ECE curriculum provides a rich environment that supports active learning experiences designed by the teacher. The low teacher to student ratio (2 adults to a maximum of 16 students) allows teachers to adapt the curriculum to meet the individual needs of the children.



ECE meets Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.


McKinley-Thatcher's ECE Program is a tuition based program. This means parents who are interested in having their child attend ECE are charged a monthly fee based on their ability to pay and the number of scholarships we have available. Eligibility for financial assistance is determined at the time of registration.

Registering for the ECE Program

Students who turn 4 years old by October 1 are eligible to attend ECE. Parents interested in learning more about our ECE program should come to the school office between 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. for registration information. Preference is given to students in the school boundary area; however, space is usually availabe for students who wish to choice in from other schools and out of district. (Please note that children who are not in the DPS boundary area do not qualify for tuition scholarships.) Birth verification, immunization records, and verification of income must be presented at the time of registration.