FAQs
EBJ provides a community of care for children ages 3 months to five years and their families. It enrolls approximately 40 children each year. We are known for the consistency and continuity provided by our exceptional teacher-to-child ratios, our small and nurturing classroom cohorts, and the very low turnover in our talented and committed teaching staff. In the last few years research has concluded that group size is a very important variable in defining a quality early childhood program, and that young children are better able to receive individualized attention and nurturing in small groups. Since 1972, EBJ has been a committed to these principles of high-quality childcare, and to fostering community awareness of the importance of early childhood education.
Yes. EBJ has been accredited since 1994 through National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). For more, please see www.naeyc.org.
Our ratios are 3:8 for under threes, and 3:14 for preschoolers. These ratios greatly exceed state standards, and help create the nurturing family-style standard of care that EBJ is known for. Moreover, groups of children are not combined when there are fewer of them (i.e., in the morning, before everyone arrives). So the teachers you talk with in the morning and the afternoon are the same ones your child has been playing and learning with all day.
EBJ teachers are a warm and talented group of professionals committed to early childhood education. Many of our teachers have been with EBJ for decades, a fact that shows both their deep commitment to children and also the program’s sincere commitment to them. The Donna Bella Fund for Teacher Development was recently established specifically to help support continuing education and training for EBJ teachers. Taken together, the teachers have a combined 137 years of experience at EBJ. For more information, please see our staff page.
The cohort model keeps children and teachers together in consistent groups throughout the academic year. Each fall, a classroom is established with 8 or 12 children who will stay together for twelve months, then often moving up to the next room with little change. The classroom cohorts at EBJ are designed to provide optimal continuity and stability for children, who see the same teachers and friends every day. Cohorts allow children to develop deep friendships with each other, as well as important relationships with their teachers, who can supervise and encourage their development in the long term. They also allow EBJ families to form lasting relationships with each other.
Outside time is very important at EBJ, and it is built in to the schedule of each group twice a day, except on the rare occasions when weather makes it impossible. The younger groups spend morning time outdoors in the specially designed areas for the under-threes. A sandbox, low climbers, a playhouse, and a gathering table are basic equipment. The younger groups also enjoy “buggy walks” in the neighborhood enabling them to take advantage of the city and all it offers – Trucks! Buses! Construction sites! Fire engines and police cars! The preschool groups enjoy the fenced play space with its more challenging equipment and its large sand area for digging. Their teachers add curriculum every day to encourage gross motor development – balls, ropes, balance equipment, crates for building, pretend tools, and dramatic play. The preschools also take walking trips to surrounding playgrounds and shaded parks. In the summer, all the groups incorporate various forms of water play. EBJ is fortunate to be surrounded by natural settings in the middle of a city.
Yes! As a Yale-affiliated child care center, EBJ was established to serve the needs of families from Yale University and from the surrounding area. EBJ is committed to serving the child care needs of many types of Yale families (faculty, staff, and students), as well as its larger community beyond the university. Every year we enroll children from New Haven and beyond who have no connection to Yale.
EBJ is housed in Yale University’s Whitehall graduate student housing complex, on the corner of Prospect and Canner Streets. It is across the street from New Haven’s Celentano School and Yale’s Divinity School and up the hill from Albertus Magnus College. Click here for more details.
EBJ opens daily at 8:15 am and closes at 5:15 pm. An early drop off is available occasionally by special arrangement.
EBJ is a 12-month program, providing care for 49 weeks of the year. We are closed only for the winter holidays, at the end of August, and on the nine state and federal holidays (Labor Day, Memorial Day, July 4, etc.), as well as Good Friday. We are also closed for one week in March for spring break, during which optional vacation care is offered (at an extra cost). Please see our current calendar for more details.
Yes. Some families choose to enroll their children two or three days a week, rather than five. EBJ does not offer half-day options.
No. Families send in lunches for their children, which are refrigerated and then heated, as needed. EBJ provides nutritious morning and afternoon snacks, including fresh fruits, yogurt, and whole-grain breads. In addition, the curriculum includes age-appropriate cooking activities, such as rolling sushi or baking apple pies.
EBJ does not allow foods containing peanuts or tree nuts or their byproducts. The program is committed to creating a safe space for all of the children by accommodating food allergies and special dietary needs of other kinds. One advantage of family-packed lunches is that each child can have foods individually tailored to his or her dietary needs.
Please see our current tuition schedule, based on 49 weeks of care and early education. Parents make a commitment for one year at a time and are guaranteed a space for their child as long as they wish to remain in the program. EBJ has some funds available for financial aid: please click here for an application.
While EBJ can have long wait lists, we encourage you to apply. Although we are a small program, there is frequently movement over the summer and spaces may open up unexpectedly. A family stays on the waiting list for as long as is needed to secure a space or until the family removes itself.
There is no yearly charge or yearly resubmission of a new form.
Yes! Current parents are always happy to talk with prospective EBJ families. Please ask the director, Amy Angelo, for names and contact information. She will match you with a family whose child is the same age so you can have first-hand information about the classroom, the teachers, and the daily schedule.
Absolutely. We encourage prospective families to make an appointment to visit our program during the school day in order to see our classrooms in session. We also encourage applicants to ask questions at any point during the application process.
Dr. Edith B. Jackson was a pediatrician at Yale Medical School (1923-1959) who worked to humanize the care of children and families in hospitals and other institutions. She is best known for her success in establishing rooming-in for newborns, so that babies could be as close as possible to their mothers from the beginning. EBJ remains as a living memorial to her lifetime commitment to the welfare of infants, children, and families.