LaSalle Early Childhood Center
LaSalle Early Childhood Center
Our History
Our History
LaSalle Early Childhood grew from the preschool program of St. John de LaSalle Catholic School.
After the school was closed in 2007, the teachers reorganized to become a non profit preschool to serve the local communities.
We are committed to the families of Niagara Falls, Wheatfield, Town of Niagara and the surrounding communities
Our classes
Our classes
At LaSalle Early Childhood Center, Inc. we believe that three and four year olds have very different abilities and needs.
We provide separate classes for our three and four year olds and meet them where they are developmentally.
We open doors for their intellect and creativity to blossom.
Pre K Three
Pre K Three
Mrs. Patricia Zacher is the Three Year Olds classroom teacher. Patricia received her degree from Niagara University. She was an Assistant Teacher for 5 years before she became the Lead Teacher 5 years ago.
The curriculum is a mix of structure and free choice activities based on a theme chosen with the children in mind. There is a focus on language development, social skills and the arts. The maximum class size is 18 children with 3 adults for the three-year olds to provide excellent staff to child ratio for a safe and nurturing environment. We use the Second Step social emotional curriculum and Connect4Learning curriculum as tools to offer the best developmentally appropriate activities to our children.
Pre K 4
Pre K 4
Mrs. Jennifer Orzolick is our second Pre K Four teacher. Jennifer came to us as a parent helper over 10 years ago and after her children began their grade school years we welcomed her to our staff.
Jennifer completed coursework through Niagara University last year and received her Child Development Associate certification. She was previously the Assistant teacher in the PreK 4 room and during COVID Jennifer led our school age program 3 days a week.
We use Creative Curriculum for preschool and prepare the children for Kindergarten in a literature based program with strong pre-math skills. We believe in outdoor experiences and play based learning. Our teachers are trained in the Pyramid Model for social emotional learning and help students to express their feelings, manage their emotions and learn positive behaviors.
Our Director
Our Director
Mrs. Marybeth Simoneit has been in the early childhood field for over 30 years. She is a graduate of SUNY College at Fredonia with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She was a first grade teacher for many years and in 2003 became a preschool teacher at St. John de LaSalle Catholic School. When the school closed the need for quality preschool was still very high in Niagara Falls so the early childhood center was created. Marybeth is committed to the families of this area to provide high quality preschool where children are taught in an atmosphere of understanding and love.
Marybeth recently completed graduate work through the City University of NY for her Children's Program Administration Credential. This two year program provides administrative/management skills for leaders in the Early Childhood field. She was featured this year in the spotlight for the WNY Early Childhood Leadership Initiative.
We are Life-long Learners
We are Life-long Learners
Our entire staff has been trained on the Pyramid Model, a national teaching framework to support social and emotional development.
LECC is the first Niagara County childcare center accepted to the Quality Stars program.
This statewide program supports high quality programming and superb learning environments.
We complete self studies using the ECERS, the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales, and submit documentation of our trainings and education. We will then utilize this self study to formulate a plan for further improvements.
In addition to Quality Stars, our staff hosts trainings in conjunction with Niagara University and Help Me Grow NY,
we attend online trainings and webinars and the NYSAEYC conference annually.