Emmanuel Day School is an independent, non-profit, non-religious preschool on Mercer Island. We aim to create the best possible "first school experience" and zest for learning and life. Learn more about our classes, teachers, community on our website or come by for a visit. At EDS, we are an intentional play-based school and focus on experiential learning.
We host an amazing variety of special visitors: everything from the reptile man to the Seattle Opera, Woodland Park Zoo to theater, KidsQuest to naturalist classes. You'll also find a close-knit community, with fun social events for the whole family. We teach our children the value of giving back through our EDS Cares Week, being healthy with our Fit Kids Jr week, and having fun through spirit weeks and pep rallies.
We host an amazing variety of special visitors: everything from the reptile man to the Seattle Opera, Woodland Park Zoo to theater, KidsQuest to naturalist classes. You'll also find a close-knit community, with fun social events for the whole family. We teach our children the value of giving back through our EDS Cares Week, being healthy with our Fit Kids Jr week, and having fun through spirit weeks and pep rallies.
Services
Our mission is to nurture the emotional, social, and intellectual growth of each child by providing stimulating experiences in a loving environment. Our program provides an environment for varied learning experiences led by trained teachers in a well-equipped facility. The curriculum is aimed at developing social, language, mathematical and physical skills, including both fine and gross motor skills.
Emmanuel Day School is furnished with child-sized tables, chairs, shelves, restrooms, sinks, and coat hooks to encourage self-sufficiency. Our classrooms have different stations, which rotate frequently so that our children can explore age appropriate materials and be active participants in their own learning.
Our goal is to build a sense of confidence and plant the seeds for a love of school and learning. The day of a Turtles class student is filled with play, art, music, literacy, science, cooking, exploration (!) and a healthy dose of outdoor exercise. Because this is often a child's first introduction to formal education, it is important to help youngsters build positive relationships with peers and teachers.
Our teachers build on the foundational social skills learned in the Turtles class and give children time to express individual choice. Students select the activities, materials, and friends with which to play. Small group activities are intentionally designed for children to practice the skills needed in kindergarten, such as writing, problem solving, and math.
Continuing to nurture your preschooler's mind, the dolphins class is filled to the brim with creative ways to have fun, make friends and learn. The focus here is on honing fine motor skills, encouraging healthy and constructive social interactions, promoting exploration, empowering students to problem solve and creating a solid foundation for future elementary school learning.
Reviews (5)
Ellen O.
Dec 07, 2019
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My family has had a wonderful experience with EDS. I was originally drawn to EDS because of their goal of creating a first school experience and I have not been disappointed. My daughter loves her teachers and is always excited about going to school. I have also been very impressed by the quality and diversity of their Learning Experiences. What has really made EDS stand apart for me is the amazing community of parents. They have made me, and my daughter feel extremely welcome and go above and beyond to support the families around them. I feel very fortunate to have found EDS.
Janine P.
Jan 09, 2018
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Our son spent three years at EDS and our daughter is in the middle of her second. We have been genuinely amazed by this preschool! Honestly, we originally chose it simply because of the fantastic allergy policy, but now that we've seen everything it offers, we would have chosen it anyway hands down. It has prepared my children for kindergarten so well! Everything we've read talks about the importance of social skills more than academics at this age, and the play-based structure (with a focus on socialization) is completely aligned in that regard. That said, my son still learned to start
India H.
Jan 06, 2018
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Our family has had the best preschool experience we could ask for at this great school. The balance of play and education has been exactly what we're looking for. Each classroom is warm and cozy, with enthusiastic teachers who we trust implicitly. The director, Claudia, has each student's best interest at heart and is a pleasure to work with. She immediately puts you at ease during the transition into preschool, both through her care for students as well as her professionalism in her leadership role. I cannot say enough great things about EDS. We feel so lucky to be there!
Michele P.
Oct 19, 2013
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Great school! It is play-based with structure - my preschooler learns so much here: socialization, letters, numbers, READING (!),math, science, and there are special activities like literacy lunch bunch, Spanish lunch bunch, and soccer lunch bunch. The director and teachers are great. The pre-K teacher combination of Rita and Suzi is simply outstanding!
Darcir N.
Jun 13, 2013
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