The Upper Arlington City School District established the Burbank Early Childhood School (BECS) in 1983. The Upper Arlington School District recognized a need in the Upper Arlington community for high quality childcare. The district also acknowledged the pivotal role that quality early childhood education plays in the lives of young children.

To strengthen the community by providing a quality education for Upper Arlington’s youngest learners.

BECS has proudly served the Upper Arlington early childhood community for over 37 years. We are honored to have nurtured Upper Arlington’s youngest learners during such a formative time of development. Some of our very own staff were preschoolers at BECS when they were young.

We follow an Emergent Curriculum, where children and teachers co-construct learning opportunities together. We follow the interests of children to help children discover, play, and grow together. Positive, nurturing relationships are at the heart of all interactions.

Here are some specific ways that we bring our philosophy to life:

• Teachers emphasize the importance of relationships by encouraging children to negotiate, cooperate, problem solve, and interact in courteous ways. Teachers encourage appropriate behaviors by modeling courtesy and respectfulness.

• Our teachers provide stimulating opportunities for children to question, predict outcomes, experiment, reflect on discoveries, and interact with people and materials.

• Teachers create opportunities throughout the day for children to work individually or in small groups on projects. Whole group time is used to build a sense of community and shared purpose.

• Teachers ensure a balance of quiet and active play through a carefully designed daily schedule.

• Lunch and snack menus are designed to not only meet the preferences of our children, but to also to offer a variety of well balanced food that support and health and growing needs of our children. Here is a brochure that details our school’s nutritional beliefs.

• Large muscle climbing rooms and an expansive outdoor playground provide an abundance of active play space.

• Curricular activities are developed based on current research and recommended practice. Lessons follow state Early Learning Standards and are sensitive to the cultural backgrounds, interests, and parental priorities.

• To promote early literacy, we follow the Heggerty curriculum as well as components of Fundations. Our teachers also provide children with a holistic understanding of literacy by meaningfully incorporating literacy throughout classroom and daily routines. 

• We prioritize the social emotional development of children throughout all of our activities. We adopt the Zones of Regulation, Kelso’s Choices, as well as a school-wide PBIS model.

• Preschool classrooms have mixed age groups to promote maximum development.

• We invest in our staff through providing abundant Professional Development opportunities.

BECS is fortunate to have a qualified and caring team. Our teachers all hold degrees in early childhood and most also have teaching licenses. Each of our teachers has over a decade of experience working with young children and many of our teachers have worked at BECS for over 20 years. Our Office team holds great expertise in early childhood as well; our Director has her doctorate in early childhood, our Program Coordinator has 25 years of experience at BECS, and our receptionist has previously served as a preschool director.

BECS is consistently applauded by parents, staff, and community members for its work. BECS is licensed through the Ohio Department of Education and meets all standards set forth by The Ohio Department of Education. BECS is a recipient of the Irene Bandy-Hedden Award recognizing high quality early childhood programs in Ohio.