About US

Owner & Director

Jill Bounds is the owner and director of Delmarva Early Learning Center (DELC) after being a teacher and then the director of Tenderheart for 10 years.

Delmarva Early Learning Center was established in 2019, by Owner/Director Jill Bounds. She is local to Salisbury and has always had a passion for early childhood education. With over 15+ years experience in day care/child care, Delmarva offers Grades Nursery through Pre School age care, with Summer care available as well. Delmarva brings children in to a safe, high quality learning environment. She implemented a state of the art technology called Brightwheel, an app that allows open communication between teachers and parents throughout the day with daily reports and photos. Delmarva is accredited through the Maryland Department of Education and is an EXCELS level 5 learning center, which serves 6 week olds through 6 year olds.

Philosophy

We believe that each child is a special and unique individual. Sensitivity to a child’s needs in all areas including social, emotional, intellectual, and physical factors is necessary to properly serve each child’s special needs. Developmentally appropriate activities are designed for each age group to help children enjoy successful learning.

We believe that patience and praise are necessary in teaching children to be happy and self confident. Positive methods of discipline based on age-appropriate limits help the children learn how to function in acceptable ways. Our programs are designed to develop a sense of independence and responsibility and to strengthen each child’s confidence and sense of self while instilling respect for others.

We believe in providing an environment that is safe, clean, healthy, and oriented toward children. Play and activity areas in each classroom, and on the playground area, are arranged to provide challenging play and learning choices in a range of developmental levels and are appropriate for each age group.

We believe that the key to effective teaching and learning is to make the learning experience FUN! Teachers are constantly challenged to develop lesson plans that create a fun atmosphere at the same time that learning takes place. Delmarva ELC uses the Creative Curriculum approach to learning as well as the Investigators Club curriculum in our 4 year old programs. Combining teacher ingenuity and Creative Curriculum has shown to be effective in transferring knowledge to children without creating a dislike of school or learning. Our Infant and Toddler program uses Creative Curriculum, as well as Healthy Beginnings to develop activities and meet developmental needs in the classroom. Making learning fun creates the love of school and learning that allows for academic excellence in a child’s later learning experiences.

We believe that parents are the most significant adults in a child’s life. Creating a mutual respect between parents and teachers is beneficial for all involved, especially the child. We encourage daily communication between parents and center staff to help create this mutual respect. Delmarva ELC’s director and staff welcome any information, suggestions, or ideas that may make your child’s learning experience more enjoyable. We have an Open Door policy. What this means is that our doors are open to parents at all times during business hours.