To Contact CCEP
Newsletters
Photo Galleries
School News
Upcoming Events
About CCEP
Program Options & School Hours
Admission & Financial Aid
 

Welcome from Catherine Dolan, Head of School

At Christ Church Episcopal Preschool, we educate young children in the Episcopal tradition, nurturing each child’s intellectual, physical, and spiritual development.  We invest in high-quality, literacy-rich curriculum materials that direct children into fun and theme-based experiences.  Our core curriculum is enriched by experts in the fields of early childhood development, reading, art, music, and physical education.  The principles of Conscious Discipline permeate all that we do.  We offer a variety of programs to serve the community in which we live and work.  In addition, CCEP has an active parents’ association to support the program and activities of our preschool.

We hope that you and your family will come visit our campus and experience our vibrant and strong school community for yourselves!

To Contact CCEP

Phone:  (302) 472-0021
Fax:  (302) 655-2259
Email:  ccep@christchurchde.org

Christ Church Episcopal Preschool offers its program to students regardless of race, gender, color, creed, or national or ethnic origin.

Newsletters

Download May 2008 Newsletter

Download April 2008 Newsletter

Download March 2008 Newsletter

Download February 2008 Newsletter

Download January 2008 Newsletter

Download December 2007 Newsletter

Download November 2007 Newsletter

Download October 2007 Newsletter

Download September 2007 Newsletter

These documents are in Adobe Acrobat format, and you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open them.  Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader for your computer if you don't already have it.

Photo Galleries

Click here to view photo albums of CCEP events and activities.

School News

Download a copy of our Annual Fund Letter.

Download a copy of our Annual Fund Spring Letter.

Download a copy of our Annual Fund Pledge Card.

Download a copy of our School Menus.

Upcoming Events

May:

  1st:  Spring Social and Silent Auction, 6 to 8 PM
  7th:  Parents' Association Meeting, 8:45 AM
  8th:  Grandparents & Special Friends Day, 8:30 - 10 AM
13th:  Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 PM
26th:  Memorial Day - No School (Holiday Camp)

June:

  4th:  End-of-Year Family Picnic
10th:  Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 PM

The last day of school is June 4.  Holiday Camp is offered for year-round students on June 5 and 6.  The CCEP Summer Camp program will begin on June 9.  Please contact the School Office for CCEP Summer Camp information:  (302) 472-0021.

About Christ Church Episcopal Preschool

THE MISSION OF CHRIST CHURCH EPISCOPAL PRESCHOOL
Christ Church Episcopal Preschool (CCEP) educates young children; promotes a sense of continuity between church, school, and families; and honors and nurtures children in the Episcopal tradition.

THE VISION OF CHRIST CHURCH EPISCOPAL PRESCHOOL
Christ Church Episcopal Preschool is an integral part of Christ Church Christiana Hundred (CCCH) serving children from our community who are between the ages of eighteen months and five years old.  The school offers a developmentally appropriate, play based, and literacy rich curriculum to develop the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of the young child.  To accomplish this vision, Christ Church Episcopal Preschool provides:

• Low student to teacher ratios
• Grouping of children by age
• Year round or traditional academic year (September – June) programs
• Full day and half day programs
• Three and five day programs
• Daily prayer, grace at snacks, and chapel services
• Religious stories and traditions of the Episcopal Church
• Age appropriate activities for emerging literacy and math skills
• Art, music, Spanish, and physical education
• A collection of great literature for young children
• Outdoor play and exploration
• Gross and fine motor development activities
• Before school and after school care
• Two state-of-the-art playgrounds

THE SCHOOL CAMPUS
Christ Church Episcopal Preschool is located on the 25-acre campus of historic Christ Church Christiana Hundred.  Christ Church Christiana Hundred emanated from the Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday school, a building which can still be seen in the Hagley Museum.  In 1817, Victorine du Pont Bauduy, the young widowed daughter of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont, began a school which taught children basic material—reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.  From 1841 through 1854, four Christian congregations were formed from the school—St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine, Mt. Salem Methodist, Green Hill Presbyterian, and Christ Church.  The DuPont Company helped finance the erection of church buildings for all of these congregations.  The cornerstone of Christ Church is dated 1848; the church building, of Victorian Gothic Revival Style, was started in 1854 and completed two years later.  The first service in the present church was on May 4, 1856.

THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Christ Church Episcopal Preschool, established in 2005 by the Rector and Vestry of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, is a parish community school.  The school was founded as a ministry to support families and their young children in the tradition and community of Christ Church Christiana Hundred.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT AN EPISCOPAL CHURCH/SCHOOL?
CCEP strives to educate and nurture children in the Episcopal Tradition.  The following is an excerpt from the July 2005 edition of the CCCH Communicator, in which The Rev. John Martiner articulates what “in the Episcopal Tradition” means.

At one of our meetings regarding the new Christ Church Episcopal Preschool, members of the study committee kept saying that the new school would be “in the Episcopal tradition.”  Some astute members of the audience asked:  “What does ‘in the Episcopal tradition’ look like?”  A darn good question.

Members of the committee were quick to respond that the new school would have religious services according to “Episcopal form.”  In other words, response, prayers, and clergy presence at chapel would use liturgical forms which came from or resembled that which we know in the Book of Common Prayer.  Standing in the back of the hall, I was pleased to hear that answer because all my ministry I have tried to teach and demonstrate that the Episcopal Church is first of all a worshipping church—“If you want to know what Episcopalians believe, you must worship with them.”  For us, worship is like the hub of a wheel—it is the essential center from which all programs (spokes) emanate and are connected.  Lex orandi, Lex credendi—the way we pray is the way we believe.

Earlier in the program, the Preschool Discernment Committee had presented another facet of what an Episcopal School/Church is like.  It is a very spacious, generous place.  An Episcopal School, for example, would follow Christian traditions as practiced in this church, but it would be open and respectful to non-Christians or those from other Christian traditions.  So much of what goes for popular Christianity today in our country attempts to put people in a mold theologically or socially—“in order to be a true Christian” you have to believe or experience or defend specific matters.  The Episcopal Church, in contrast, honors individual spiritual journeys—even as it holds it all together with a rather formal liturgy.  It does not seek to force conformity but rather leaves room for the Holy Spirit to lead, even if that leading may seem perplexing or upsetting.

An Episcopal Church/School at its very best is a place where “tradition and contemporary life meet in worship, study, and service.”

written by The Rev. John Martiner
for the July 2005 Communicator

Program Options and School Hours

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Beginner: 18 months old
(1 year old by March 1st)

Nursery: 2 years old
(2 years old by September 1st)

Primary: 3 years old
(3 years old by September 1st)

Pre-K: 4 years old
(4 years old by September1st)

CCEP offers three and five day programs, as well as half and full day schedules.  Additionally, families can choose a year round or a traditional academic year (September - June) program.

SCHOOL HOURS

Academic Day
Half Day:  8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Full Day:  8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Extended Day Program for Full Day Students only
Before School Care:  7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
After School Care:  3:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Admission and Financial Aid

For application materials, please contact the school office at (302) 472-0021. 

THE APPLICATION PROCESS
CCEP encourages parents interested in CCEP for their children to make an appointment to meet the Head of School and tour the facility at any time during the academic year.  Parents are encouraged to submit an application at any time, but must submit the complete application by the January application deadline to be considered for the first round of admission.

In order to be considered in the first round of admission for the 2008-2009 school year, parents interested in Christ Church Episcopal Preschool must submit the following items by January 14, 2008:

• Application for Admission, indicating program and schedule selections
• One-time application Fee of $100.00 (non-refundable), payable to Christ Church Episcopal Preschool
• A copy of the applicant’s birth certificate 

In February, CCEP will extend acceptances to new students, whose application is complete by January 14th, based on space available at each program level following re-enrollment of current CCEP families.  New students are accepted to CCEP in each program based on a review of the application for admission by the CCEP Admission Committee, with all final acceptance decisions determined by the Head of School.  As a family school, CCEP makes every effort to accommodate siblings of current students.  (Please note that current families must complete an application for any sibling applying to CCEP by the January 14th deadline in order to be considered in the first round of acceptances.)

If an applicant is not offered a space during the first round of acceptances, he/she will be placed in the waiting pool. 

Priority consideration is given to applicants whose applications are complete by the January deadline in the following order:

• Siblings of CCEP children
• Children of parishioners and school staff
• All other applicants to balance our program, with consideration given to the application receipt date

All applicants who submit complete applications after January 14th will be placed in the waiting pool and may be offered acceptance depending on space available.

FINANCIAL AID
Christ Church Episcopal Preschool has a generous, but limited, need-based financial aid program.  It is important to note that application for financial aid in no way affects admission decisions.  To qualify for financial assistance, families must complete the financial aid application to demonstrate need by March 15th.  Financial aid awards will be made in the early spring for the following school year.  Financial Aid applications and information are available from the school office; if you would like additional information about financial aid, please call (302) 472-0021.