Early Childhood Education Center

At St. John's Lutheran Early Childhood Education Center, we offer a warm and nurturing Christian environment, where each child is loved as a unique gift of God.  Our ECEC provides year-round programs, both full-time (for children 2-4) and part-time (for children age 3 or 4), alongside before- and after-school care for students at Franconia Elementary School (Kindergarten through 3rd Grade).

Our Mission: Learning and Growing Through Christ-Centered Child Care

1. Our Christ-centered curriculum gives children a foundation for life-long learning.

• Each child is a unique gift of God; we provide the best educational opportunities for each child to achieve their ultimate potential.
• Each child brings different gifts to our center, we enjoy and respect those differences.
• We encourage children to develop relationships with peers and adults that are eager to support their development.

2. We maintain a safe and nurturing environment for children and adults.

• We offer a warm Christian environment that reflects the love of our Lord Jesus.
• Our staff is committed to professional development, learning new innovations within the Early Childhood Educational field and consistently ensuring the application of best practices and lessons learned.
• Since 1983, our center has been servicing the surrounding area families. We have earned a solid reputation for trustworthiness, integrity, commitment to child safety and secure learning environments.

3. We gladly welcome our families as part of the children's educational process.

• We appreciate and embrace our multicultural environment. Our families' cultures enrich the program with all their different learning experiences.
• Families are well informed of their children's development.
• Families have opportunities to survey the center and provide input to benefit the whole program.

4. We enable children to explore their environment, with hands-on experiences and age-appropriate developmental activities. 

• Our curriculum is reviewed yearly by industry professionals to accomplish each group's specific learning objectives.
• Our staff is aware of the different needs of the children by assessing and evaluating each child regularly.
• Throughout the year, we plan a variety of activities that give families opportunities to participate with their children.

5. We openly communicate and interact with the congregation.

• We maintain a solid, Christian relationship with the congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church.
• The congregation supports the center with guidance, advice, and physical resources.
• Our pastors and Director of Youth and Christian Education share special time with the children and the staff through a unique chapel time each week.

For more information, please contact Ms. Maritza Guerra, ECEC Director.
e-mail: ECEC@sjlc.com  phone: 703-971-3581

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6