Homewood's youngest-ever learners arrived on campus in early September, many of them sporting diapers along with their first-day-of-school attire.
The Homewood Early Learning Center, which enrolls children from 10 weeks through preschool, has opened its doors for its inaugural season, just nine months after construction began.
The facility, located on the corner of Wyman Park Drive and Remington Avenue, comprises a Lego-like building assembled from 16 modular units and a natural playground nearly twice the size of the structure. Homewood ELC is only the second child care center in Maryland to have an equipment-free playground that combines landscape elements such as a climbing wall and slides embedded into hills, sun paths, plant groupings, and other carefully chosen natural materials and features to create safe, accessible, age-appropriate play, social, and learning opportunities.
Birthed to meet a long-standing desire for on-campus child care, the Homewood ELC is open to all, including community members who may not be affiliated with Johns Hopkins. However, priority admission is available to Johns Hopkins parents.
The Johns Hopkins facility was designed for 94 students and is operated by Downtown Baltimore Child Care.
