Shalee Pitman Portrait

EmBe Downtown

For more information or questions, please contact Shalee Pitman, at 605-215-6875 or spitman@embe.org.

Portrait of Caitlin Rothschadl

EmBe South

For more information or questions, please contact Caitlin Rothschadl, at 605-681-8573 or crothschadl@embe.org.

We prepare children for lifelong learning

From four weeks to 12 years of age, we will engage your child in exciting learning activities specifically designed to meet their developmental needs. Our curriculum emphasizes language and literacy, cognitive development, social-emotional skills, creativity and physical exercise. We also go beyond basic curriculum by instilling positive traits that will lead to a lifetime of success through our life-skills programs.

Choose your child’s age to learn more.

We have created a safe and bright environment for your child to grow and develop. Your child is unique and has already established their personality and patterns. Our qualified staff will work with you and your child to maintain these patterns and ease the transition from home to our center.

Infants begin to develop movements that will have them crawling in no time! As your child begins to explore their world, we provide activities to help them thrive. From swings and bouncers to tummy time and educational toys — our rooms offer a safe, soft place to roll over, sit up and begin to crawl.

Your baby’s language and communication are just as important as physical development. Our staff interacts with each child, offering opportunities to form relationships, build communication, and share songs, stories, hugs, and smiles.

Finally, our communication with parents is a top priority. A daily sheet is provided for staff and parents to communicate with each other. Parents complete a portion with feeding instructions, contact information, and additional instructions. In turn, the team completes their part, letting you know all about your child’s day.

This room, full of bright colors and smiling faces, is the next step in your child’s development journey. With all of the amenities you loved from our Babes room, including activities to promote gross motor development and age-appropriate toys, staff builds on those experiences to get those creepers and crawlers ready to walk tall!

Infants will use all of their senses to practice fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, and total body movement until they master those firsts. Soft tunnels, push toys, and pull-up bars all help strengthen little muscles. While individual schedules are maintained, group experiences such as the introduction of table food and buggy rides outside of the center help the children experience the world around them.

Personalities begin to appear at this age. Arrivals and departures are usually punctuated with little hands waving and blowing kisses! As your child continues their cognitive development, and with your input, our staff can implement the basics of sign language to help your child communicate.

As always, parent communication continues to be a top priority. Daily sheets keep you updated on all activities in your child’s day.

Our Blossoms room accommodates all those fun, new stages as your baby develops into a toddler. A wide open space waits – filled with soft climbers, age-appropriate toys, and caring staff ready to show them the world. Children in this room get to explore our gymnasium and outside playground area. Social skills such as sharing and taking turns begin to take on importance. Your child will experience various new activities, including art projects, building blocks, action songs, fingerplays, and interactive toys. Other transitions include gradually shifting from bottles to sippy cups, from two naps a day in a crib to one nap on a cot, and from a very individualized schedule to group activities. Your child will also begin to eat their meals in their dining area. These meals include breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack.

Children in the Explorer room begin making friends and building relationships while growing their self-esteem and confidence. Children at this age are ready to play together rather than parallel, and our activities support this interaction. Activities are designed to develop fine motor skills. Art and craft time allows children to use big crayons, markers, and paint daubers to begin pre-writing skills. Sensory tables encourage each child to use all five senses to experience the world around them. Cognitive development is also a top priority, with activities designed to stimulate brain development. Children practice matching and sorting, naming familiar objects, identifying body parts, and matching animals to sounds.

Terrific two-year-olds are making considerable strides in their ability to move through the world in the Creator’s room. They are exploring their environment, learning to communicate their ideas, exercising independence, and understanding group play. Along with activities that promote gross and fine motor development, children this age begin using the Creative Curriculum to help them become more comfortable with a preschool-type setting. The curriculum provides age-appropriate opportunities for creative art, music, language, math, science, and dramatic play. Teachers are ready to accommodate when it comes to the area of potty training! Each room has bathroom facilities nearby, so whether it is diapers, pull-ups, or underwear, we can turn the terrible twos into the terrific twos!

EmBe childcare financial assistance provides for the needs of youth, families and individuals who cannot afford the full cost of EmBe childcare programs. EmBe is committed to being accessible to all, and works hard to support those who may be in challenging financial situations.

Our goal is to offer a safe, healthy and fun environment for your child(ren). Parents remember to keep their children home if they display signs of illness. We will be following illness exclusion procedures to ensure the safety of our children, families, and staff. We will continue the sanitation of common areas and toys to prevent the spread of illness. We will continue to educate children and staff on specific hand washing techniques.

Q: If my child or anyone in the child’s household exhibits the following symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, trouble breathing, headache, or diarrhea, may we bring our child(ren) for care at EmBe?

A: No. We are only as safe as all of our parents and guardians allow us to be. We ask that you notify your primary care physician for direction and keep your child’s site manager updated.

Q: Are toys allowed from home?

A: No. To reduce the spread of germs, no toys are allowed from home. All EmBe toys, puzzles, books, and games are sanitized between use by children.

kids at a christmas program