Manual
- Monday-Friday 7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- P: 317-676-9187
- enrollment@dayearlylearning.org
- 6 weeks - 6 years
Day Early Learning at Manual is Early Learning Indiana’s newest high-quality early learning center, serving families who live or work on Indianapolis’ south side. Located in the former Emmerich Manual High School, which is now home to Christel House Academy South, the center offers early care and learning to children ages 6 weeks to 6 years old. All pre-K students can automatically enroll in kindergarten at Christel House Academy South without having to go through the lottery.
At Day Early Learning at Manual, your child will learn and grow in a safe environment. The center has six brand new classrooms, an indoor gross motor area and a beautiful outdoor playground. Classrooms are designed to provide a fun learning environment and are outfitted with the newest developmentally-appropriate learning materials to help your child explore and learn.
Center Leadership
Ashley has been with Day Early Learning since 2022. Before joining the Manual team, Ashley served as the operations manager at the Center for Infants and Toddlers. Prior to joining Early Learning Indiana, Ashley served as a preschool program manager, a classroom teacher, and as director and assistant director for other large early education organizations. She has a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration. Ashley’s favorite parts of her job are connecting with families and ensuring their journey is smooth from enrollment through graduation.
Amy joined Day Early Learning in 2007 and has also served as Office Manager and Assistant Director. She has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Amy enjoys seeing the enthusiasm of teachers when they discover a new component or skill and building trusting, collaborative relationships with children and their families.
Laura is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurse who has been with Day Early Learning for more than 10 years. Prior to her time at Day Early Learning, she worked in a neonatal intensive care unit, a developmental pediatric office and a pediatric primary care office. Laura has four boys and enjoys traveling to the beach, swimming and gardening during her free time.
Tuition Rates
As a nonprofit, our goal is to provide high-quality, accredited early childhood care and education at a price families can afford. The prices listed below reflect our full fee. Many families qualify for discounts or financial aid. Employees of Christel House Manual may be eligible for a 45% discount. Please check to see if you qualify.
Infants
$360
per week
Toddlers
$334
per week
3-6 Years Old
$264
per week
NOTE: Tuition rates vary based on county. Please visit the page for your desired location to view current rates.
Quick Guide
When you entrust your child to Day Early Learning, you can expect a high level of quality, safety and integrity. Day Early Learning supports the highest standards of early care and education by adhering to national accreditation standards and the state of Indiana’s Paths to QUALITY™ (PTQ) Level 4 standards.
All Day Early Learning classrooms utilize The Creative Curriculum, a research-based early child care and education curriculum. The learning objectives of the curriculum are aligned with Indiana’s Early Learning Foundations and include child-focused activities that address language and literacy, math, cognitive, science, social-emotional and physical development.
Your child’s classroom will have an individualized lesson plan posted every week. Each activity on the lesson plan is purposeful and intentionally planned based on the teachers’ observations of each child in the classroom.
Regularly assessing each child’s growth and development allows teachers to tailor lessons and activities to the needs of each individual child. All Day Early Learning centers use several methods to assess each child’s growth and development including TS GOLD® observations and the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA).
Teachers must have either a bachelor’s or an associate degree in early childhood education. Classroom support professionals must have a high school diploma and CDA or 12 college credits in early care and education within two years of hire. All teachers are trained in Universal Precautions, first aid and CPR.
Children at Day Early Learning receive a healthy breakfast, lunch and two snacks a day at our centers. Meals are designed to be balanced and include fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while limiting the amount of sugars and processed foods. Weekly menus are posted in your center.
Our menus are reviewed by a certified nutritionist, approved by the Indiana Department of Education and meet the Gold Standard from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Child Nutrition Programs. Additionally, our culinary team members are Serv-Safe certified to ensure food safety.
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. You are always welcome at Day Early Learning. Feel free to visit the center and participate in special programs and activities. Your participation is important to your child’s success.
Your child’s health and safety are our top priority, and we work to prevent illnesses through our health and safety policies. When illnesses do occur, school leaders will inform parents of the illness, symptoms and incubation period, per Indiana State Licensing regulations. We take extra care to sanitize classroom surfaces, toys and common use items whenever an illness is confirmed in a classroom.