Early Childhood Education Program

Ballard’s Early Childhood Program is committed to providing affordable quality education for children ages two through five in an early childhood educational setting. Ballard assists families in closing the gap between school and home by focusing on trauma-informed care with some on-site services.

Philosophy Statement:

The Ballard Center strongly believes in preparing our students to lead happy, productive lives socially, emotionally, and academically. Children who have skills in the social, emotional, and academic domains will find success when attending K-12 school as well as building and sustaining positive relationships as they grow older. Therefore, our Academic and Social Emotional curriculums focus on evidence-based practices that align with the Kansas Early Learning Standards.

Mission:

To provide a safe and nurturing environment so that each student has all the tools they need to continue growing and learning as they head out into the world. In accordance with our philosophy statement and mission, our Early Education Program focuses on:
  • Supporting students by emphasizing family, culture, community, and society.
  • Building the foundation of success for each of our students with our social emotional curriculum as well as our academic curriculum.
  • Creating an environment where students are safe and supported thus able to grow and learn at their own pace.
If you would like to volunteer with our Early Childhood Education Program, please complete the Volunteer Interest Form on the Volunteer page.

Serving children AND families:

Having both a Social-Emotional Curriculum and Academic curriculum we are helping to build strong foundations for our students. Both curriculums are taught by Ballard’s Teachers and Education Coordinator. Second Step is the Conscious Discipline based Social-Emotional curriculum. This program is designed to help guide children to learn, practice, and apply skills for self-regulation and social-emotional competence. Learning Without Tears is the Academic based developmental curriculum we have implemented in our Pre-K classrooms. This program is accessible at all points within the wide spectrum of needs and skills children have while also inviting participation, building a base of understanding, and challenge children’s thinking.

Having both an Education Director and Education Coordinator helps provide additional services that include:

  • Connecting teachers with training on evidence-based strategies to promote positive social and emotional growth for both students and teachers.
  • Educating teachers, students, and families regarding the importance and benefits of healthy relationships.
  • Connecting families with community resources for child development.
  • Providing individual student supports and success plans for overall student development that is based on goals connecting both teachers and families to keep children on track developmentally over their time at Ballard.
  • Providing one-on-one meetings for our families who might be in crisis or needing more support with their child.
  • Connecting families to additional services that Ballard offers in our community.

Ballard also assists families by connecting them with resources and services needed to move toward mental and financial stability. Our staff has received trauma informed training and have held positions such as “Family Connection Coordinators,” so they equipped with the tools to help families navigate the system and crises everyday. This may be as simple as guiding them to the on-site food pantries or as complex as attending court hearings to support individuals going through difficult legal matters.

young boy sitting at a table at school using scissors to cut paper
two young girls, one wearing a red dress and the other a lavender dress, hugging each other
a young boy and girl on a green basketball court smiling at the camera
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