Welcome to the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC).
The ECEC is a unit of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS).
We are a high quality early childhood program. Our early childhood program applies a Reggio inspired constructivism theory of learning to early childhood education.
Our curriculum focus is nurturing children's critical thinking skills and problem solving skills.
The ECEC is a State of Michigan approved early learning center for young children.
We also serve as a model teacher preparation and child study facility for University students enrolled in a variety of UM-Dearborn education courses.
Quick Facts (2025-26)
- School Type: Early Childhood / Day Care
- Grades: Prekindergarten-Kindergarten
- Enrollment: 215 students
- Average class size: 12 students
- Application Deadline: Mar. 31
- Source: Verified school update
School Overview
School Type
School Membership(s)School Assoc.
Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades Prekindergarten-Kindergarten
Year Founded
1960
Summer School Offered
Yes
School Calendar
Last Day of School
Fri. Jun 19, 2026
Student Body
Total Students
215 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
11%
State avg.: 18%
Students by Grade
Academics and Faculty
Total Classroom Teachers
2 teachers
Average Class Size
12 students
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
School Notes
- The UM-Dearborn ECEC program philosophy is adopted from the Reggio Emilia constructivist teaching philosophy. The main philosophy, basis and benefit of the Reggio Emilia approach is a genuine respect for children's ideas and theories. It is designed to educate the whole child physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, linguistically and aesthetically. It is based upon the research of leading psychologists and educators such as Piaget, Erikson and Vygotsky.Our program utilizes the long-term inquiry based project approach as inspired by Reggio Emilia in early childhood programs. It addresses the needs of the developing child and provides many educational opportunities. Another key principle is the concept of time. We often call it following children's sense of rhythm. Children are given an ample amount of time to concentrate on the specific curriculum. Thus, teachers offer children multiple opportunities for the construction of knowledge and allow children to revisit their ideas and understand concepts from various perspectives in order to deepen their understanding.Moreover, our school focuses on "education based on relationships". This is a widely known and valued aspect of the Reggio inspired approach. By putting children together in small groups with heavy emphasis on communication, the overall education focuses each child in relation to others, and seeks to promote social interaction and development with other children, family, teachers, society and the environment.The role of the teacher is to carefully listen, observe, document and analyze each individual child's comments and questions. From there, we prepare specific materials and carefully plan curriculum and questions so that the children can reflect upon their own ideas, fully explore them, and develop new questions in order to learn increasingly complex concepts in depth.
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the application deadline for Univ Of Michigan Dearborn Ecec?
The application deadline for Univ Of Michigan Dearborn Ecec is Mar. 31.
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