You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.
Whole-Child, Whole-Heart: Spiritual Formation in Early Childhood
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Hey Reader! In a recent gathering with pastors and Christian early education center directors, a pastor said about early childhood experiences: “It’s this formative thing that IS you but you don’t remember it.” What a profound statement! We know that many of our students will not have vivid cognitive memories of their time in our classrooms…and yet…their time in our classrooms is pivotal to their eventual formation as a full-grown adult. Like this pastor said “It IS you, but you don’t remember it.” Faith formation in young children isn’t just something that happens during chapel, Bible stories, or prayer time. It’s deeply woven into everything they experience and learn. When a toddler feels safe and loved by a caregiver, they are also learning what it means to be loved unconditionally—just as God loves them. When a preschooler learns to say “I’m sorry,” or to offer help to a friend, they are practicing grace, empathy, and the kind of community God designed us for. When a child examines a butterfly, builds a tower, or sings with joy, they are experiencing wonder—and that awe is one of the earliest expressions of worship. We often try to separate out "spiritual" learning, but in reality, faith formation happens in the same soil as all other development. It's not an extra category—it’s the thread that runs through the whole tapestry. How we (the adults) talk, how we make decisions, how we respond to challenges, how we show gratitude, even our attitudes…all of this is how children’s faith is formed. Our role as early childhood educators and caregivers in faith-based settings isn’t just to teach children about God—it’s to help them experience His presence through everyday routines, loving relationships, and joyful discovery. I had an important conversation with a new friend, Hannah Collado, recently on how beautifully all of our development is intertwined with our faith formation. I’d love for you to check it out on our YouTube channel – just click HERE to go directly to this episode. More Resources: Faith-Filled Play-Based Classrooms - on-demand training course Spiritual Formation in Early Childhood - on-demand training course Frolic early childhood resources and curriculum - https://www.wearesparkhouse.org/store/category/286738/Frolic The Adapted Way - resource for additional needs/disability ministries https://www.instagram.com/theadaptedway/ https://www.theadaptedway.com/ Cheering you on this week! -Your ECCN team
Colossians 3:16 "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." |
Early Childhood Christian Network
You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.
Hey Reader! We are on our way to Georgetown, TX, today for our Central Texas State Conference! Would you stop for a moment and pray for us? Here are some specific requests: Safety for our speakers and vendors as they travel. Last-minute details to come together in God’s timing and with His people. That God would supernaturally fill the gaps we haven’t thought of That conference attendees would be equipped well and sense the Spirit of God as they participate. That HVAC and technology would...
Hey Reader! “PRAISE is celebrative worship in which believers magnify and exalt the Lord through expressive acts, enthusiastically proclaiming the unrivaled excellence of His Name, His character, and His actions in a spirit of uninhibited rejoicing!” -Dr. Bruce Leafblad Jean Thomason (aka Miss Pattycake) shared this quote with me recently in a conversation, and it gave me a whole new perspective on some of the typical behavior we see in preschoolers! When I read the words "uninhibited...
Hey Reader! Summer in childcare can be joyful—and exhausting. There’s a little less pressure, and we’re having loads of fun, but the days still require a lot of energy, don’t they? Here are a few quick ways to stay grounded and fill your cup throughout the day! Sip Slowly – Hydrate with intention. Say a prayer each time you take a drink: “Lord, fill me with Your peace today.” Pause and Praise – Take a 2-minute breather to thank God for one small moment of beauty today. Take three deep breaths...