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Guardian Angels Early Learning Center


Strengthens Community Partnerships

By Meg Cosgriff and Molly Lorek

Guardian Angels Early Learning Center (GAELC), a 4-Star rated program by the Ohio Department of Education, was founded in 2019 to provide Catholic child care for families for whom a faith-based environment is a priority. It expanded our long-standing and well-respected 3-, 4-, and 5- year old programs to include programming for babies and toddlers, 6-weeks to 36- months. GAELC is open year-round from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The program is rooted in Matthew’s Gospel which combines the truth of the protection provided by the Guardian Angels with the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. (Matthew 18:10-14).

A ministry of Ss. Robert and William Parish, Guardian Angels Early Learning Center works to form partnerships that benefit the social, emotional, and educational development of our students. One such partnership is with The Fine Arts Association (FAA), located in Willoughby. For several years, Ss. Robert and William Elementary School contracted with FAA to have a Music Therapist on-site, Mrs. Ann Marie Raddell, Associate Director of Creative Arts Therapies at FAA. Mrs. Raddell taught music classes to the younger elementary students and provided music therapy to individual students based on teacher recommendations.

At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Mrs. Raddell shifted her focus solely to GAELC. Each class, infants through pre-kindergarten, have a scheduled music class once per week. During this time, through the use of songs and instruments, Mrs. Raddell focuses on developing gross and fine motor skills, emotion recognition and regulation, and expressive and receptive language skills.