Little Eagles Learning Center

Our history

The Little Eagles Learning Center (LELC) opened on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers on June 24, 1998 as the Family Resource Center.  The center is one of 10 Educational Research Centers for Child Development in Florida’s state university system. The LELC has maintained continuous accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since 1999. 

Our mission and purpose

The primary purpose of the LELC is to provide the children of university students, employees and the community with high quality early care and educational experiences. The Center also serves as a practica site for students studying child development, education and a variety of the allied health professions.  The site also serves to fulfil the university’s service-learning requirement, a site for part-time student employment, and a site for research. A second component of the LELCs mission is to provide students with hands-on learning experiences outside of the typical classroom setting. The LELC partners with all of the colleges on campus to support class projects, observations, research and internships as appropriate to the discipline.  

The mission and goals of the Little Eagles Learning Center are:

• To promote the social, emotional, moral, cognitive, language and physical development of each child by:
  • providing support and resources for families
  • forming and enhancing nurturing relationships between each child
  • and teacher where each child is cherished for his or her own unique qualities
  • creating a rich developmentally and culturally appropriate curriculum

• To build partnerships with families through mutual respect, open communication, and opportunities for active participation.
• To facilitate interactions between and among families.
• To model, convey and promote high quality developmentally and culturally appropriate practices in early care and education to families, professionals, and the community-at-large.
• To create a nurturing and responsive environment that provides resources and supports the personal and professional growth of the Center staff.
• To provide university students with opportunities for observation, class projects, research, and internships as well as civic engagement.

 Adopted by the families and staff of the Little Eagles Learning Center on January 29, 1999, and revised in 2017.

Visit our resources page for current parents

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our programs and curriculum

Program Design:  Little Eagles Learning Center (LELC) is conveniently located on the FGCU campus in a free-standing building designed to support safe, nurturing and intellectually stimulating care.  In this cozy setting children thrive and develop at their own pace nurtured by a highly professional staff.  Both the indoor and outdoor environments are carefully planned to promote the children’s engagement in a wide variety of interesting activities.  The program maintains four classrooms with a total enrollment of 48 children.  The LELC is a Gold Seal Program licensed by the state of Florida, maintains accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is a Preferred Provider for VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten).

• The Infant Room serves 8 children ranging in age between 6 weeks and 18 months.  With a ratio of 1:4 each child can flourish and explore with the loving supervision of their caregivers.
• The Young Toddler Room serves 10 children from approximately 12 to 24 - 30 months while maintaining the ratio of 1:5.
• The Older Toddler Room serves 10 children from approximately 24 - 42 months while maintaining the same ratio of 1:5.
• The mixed age Pre-K enrolls a maximum of 20 children ages 3-5 years.  This includes our VPK program. Two full-time teachers (3 during VPK hours) allow us to have a 1:10 ratio.

Curriculum:  Language arts, dramatic play, music, art, science, and large and small muscle activities are woven into the total experience of the child.  The views development as a continuum in which young children are helped to meet increasingly greater challenges cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically.  The daily schedule reflects this integrated approach. 

UNIVERSITY PARTICIPANTS

During the year the Little Eagles Learning Center welcomes the participation of university students in many capacities. Some faculty arrange for students to fulfill course observation/participation requirements at the Center. Students also seek to perform volunteer Service Learning hours. All participants are closely supervised by the staff in the Center and follow strict confidentially policies. We also welcome members of the community to volunteer in the program.

ELIGIBILITY

The enrollment policy of the Little Eagles Learning Center requires priority to be given to students who are enrolled full-time at FGCU.  FGCU employees have the next enrollment priority with siblings having the same priority.  The center maintains a substantial waitlist thus making enrollment for the general community a final status.  Families are encouraged to submit a waitlist application as soon as possible as rooms fill quickly.  Families are contacted in advance when slots open, they may choose to take the slot or continue on the waitlist for a latter enrollment date.

Weekly Fees

All families pay a registration fee of $50 upon enrollment. An administrative re-enrollment fee of $50 will be paid on August 1^st of each year.

Infant Room

Full-time FGCU Students:  $242

Full-time FGCU staff:  $256

Community:  $269

Toddler Room 

Full-time FGCU Students:  $242

Full-time FGCU staff:  $256

Community:  $269

Preschool Room

Full-time FGCU Students:  $227

Full-time FGCU staff:  $239

Community:  $252

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten VPK (must be 4 years old by September 1st of the year they begin)* The rates below are for wrap-around care after VPK ends at 11:30am

(During the 180 Days of VPK ONLY)

Full-time FGCU Students:  $143

Full-time FGCU staff:  $155

Community:  $168

*VPK wraparound rate is subject to change pursuant to the Florida reimbursement amount. The 
rate is calculated by subtracting the reimbursement amount from the Preschool rate. The 2025-
2026 reimbursement rate is $84.75/week

Children must be 4 years old by September 1st to be eligible for VPK.

At the end of the VPK school year in May, families revert to the Preschool weekly rate until the 
children leave the center for kindergarten.

LITTLE EAGLES LEARNING CENTER ADVISORY BOARD GUIDELINES

The next meeting date for the Advisory Board of the Little Eagles Learning Center has not been set. Agendas will be distributed prior to the meeting.  Please direct any questions to Chantelle Yamrick at cyamrick@fgcu.edu.

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