The History of Somerset

Somerset ECC was founded in 1982 by two Early Childhood Education (ECE) professors as a model program which incorporates a unique combination of program attributes that these professors considered the main strengths of the various philosophical approaches they taught their university students. These attributes were informed by the work of Reggio Emilia, Maria Montessori, Lev Vygotsky, John Piaget, and Erik Erikson, originally.

Today, in addition to its solid philosophical foundation, Somerset’s curriculum also incorporates current ECE research, including experiences that support the development of executive function skills, Habits of Mind, and also advances in pre-reading and pre-math foundational skills. Somerset ECC has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since 2000. NAEYC is the premiere professional Early Childhood Education organization in the United States. To maintain accreditation, Somerset must continuously document compliance with the highest and most current standards for ECE programs. Our last accreditation compliance evaluation in Spring of 2018 confirmed that we are 100% compliant with all required criteria and also meet many emerging criteria, not yet required, but recommended.

Somerset has been staffed by ECE professionals since its inception. One of the original founders of Somerset, Dr. Anne E. Porter (Ms. Anne), continues to be actively involved in the administration of the school. Our Executive Director, Sheela Swarup, began her career at Somerset as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher in 1984, at our first location in Troy, and quickly became Director of our Troy site in 1985. In 1986, when our Rochester Hills site opened, Ms. Sheela became Executive Director of both schools. In 2004, when our Troy school split off and became Somerset Academy, Ms. Sheela became co-owner of our Rochester Hills school with Ms. Anne. Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Somerset ECC is the professional level and longevity of our staff.

All Somerset teachers have many years of ECE teaching experience and at least 4 year degrees in Early Childhood Education or a related field such as Child Development. It is this exceptional professional staff that enables our curriculum to be particularly creative and responsive to individual needs and interests. Our teachers have the knowledge and experience to make curriculum decisions. They do not have to rely on delivering a curriculum that has been designed by others who have never been in their classrooms or met their children.

Thousands of children have graduated from Somerset ECC over our 40 years and the feedback on their subsequent progress has been consistent. Kindergarten teachers have told us repeatedly that they can immediately recognize Somerset children. Our children are confident, independent, and excel academically and socially. We have even had a number of children whose parents are Somerset graduates. With Somerset, you can depend on a long history of setting and achieving high standards and on receiving the personal attention you and your family desire and deserve.