My name is Sara Hengst and I am the Director of the St. Francis Early Childhood Center. The St. Francis ECC is a New York State Office of Children and Family Services licensed program, which provides an educational experience in a Christian environment for 3 and 4 year olds giving them the opportunity to transition from home to a school environment and offering experiences designed to meet their spiritual, physical, social, emotional and cognitive development needs.
What sets St. Francis ECC apart from other centers is that it runs like a school than a day care. St. Francis offers specials such as gym, art, music and library. The Center also has a Messy Room for classes to go and have messy play! That includes painting, water tables and sensory tables. The curriculum follows the New York state department of education standards and is based on themes every month.
For 3-year-olds, the Center offers 3 day and 5 day programs either half days, which run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., or full days, which run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. For 4-year-olds, the Monday through Friday schedule is run as a full-day program from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The center also offers a free Universal Pre-K program from 8:30 to 11 a.m., but requires that UPK students must be residents of the City of Tonawanda. While the half-day program for the UPK is free, parents or guardians can choose to pay the tuition for the afternoon portion of the full-day program.
The center currently offers before-and after-school care for 3- and 4-year olds, as well as older students in Kindergarten to fifth grade. Before-school care is also offered from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and includes bus transportation to the child’s school.The after-school program runs from 2:15 to 5:30 p.m.
St. Francis of Assisi Early Childhood Center is working to enroll students for the 2024-2025 school year.
To learn more about the Early Childhood Center, take a tour, or to register for the upcoming school year, email Sara Hengst at shengst93@gmail.com or call 716-692-7886.