Compass ELC
Compass Early Learning Center
A warm, joyful, nationally accredited home-away-from-home for children ages 1–5. Because every child deserves the best possible start.
NAEYCNationally Accredited
Paths to QualityLevel 4 Provider
to enter kindergarten considered "school-ready."
Learning through joy, curiosity, and connection
At Compass, we believe that the earliest years are the most important — and every child deserves to spend them in a place that's safe, stimulating, and full of love.
Our goal is to instill a love of learning and give each child a strong foundation for their future. Every classroom, every meal, every activity is designed with that purpose in mind.
Homecooked, nutritious food every single day — no lunch box needed.
We provide free, weekly groceries and essentials and offer additional services to our Compass families!
Free mental health therapy and speech language therapy available onsite for families who opt in. Annual preventative dental and vision screenings — right here at school.
Pre-K classrooms enjoy swimming at Mills Pool each summer. Fun and foundational!
Holiday parties, cookouts, dinners, open houses — we celebrate together as a community.
Twice-yearly conferences so you always know how your child is growing and thriving.
High quality care that works for your family
🎉 Enrolled in CCDF or On My Way PreK? Your tuition is $0. Not one cent.For families not enrolled in state or federal programs, we offer our own income-based sliding tuition scale — calculated on your household size and annual net income. Typical cost ranges from $75–$285/week, and we offer annual scholarships for fee-scale families.
We believe quality early learning should never be out of reach. Our sliding scale ensures families who earn too much for state vouchers but too little to meet the county's self-sufficiency standard are never unfairly priced out.
View our full fee scale ›"My three children ages 5, 3, and 2 are attending Compass. All three love it and I've witnessed so much growth in them. The teachers are wonderful and I'm very thankful to know my children are always safe and cared for."
"When I toured Compass, I was so impressed with the clean facility and organized daily activities. My son always comes home with great stories about his class and friends — he'll be so prepared for kindergarten."
"Compass Early Learning Center is an exceptional place for children to thrive! The staff is nurturing, attentive, and dedicated to providing a stimulating learning environment. Highly recommended!"
"Both my children attend Compass and I am so pleased with the care and education they get. The teachers and staff are amazing and I always feel safe leaving my children there every day."
"If I ever had a concern the staff took appropriate action. I could easily communicate with any staff member at any time. I felt heard and I knew my child was safe. Many thanks to the staff at CELC."
"They work off your income, they've had free haircuts, dentist and eye exams at the school. My son absolutely loves going every day. Definitely would recommend."
Easy to find, easy to get to
827 West 14th Court
Bloomington, IN 47404
We're just off the #2 transit line, tucked behind Tri North Middle School and across from Mills Swimming Pool. Ample parking makes drop-off and pick-up a breeze.
Hours: Mon–Fri, 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM
If you are not enrolled in those programs, we offer our own sliding fee scale calculated on your household size and annual net income. Typical cost is $75–$285/week. We also offer annual scholarships for fee-scale families.
If you look at our license on the Indiana FSSA site, you'll see a "complaint" from 2019 — one we filed against ourselves when a room was out of ratio for under one minute. We take our licensing standards very seriously, and our policy is always to self-report every incident to licensing, DCS, and Paths to Quality.
Many centers do not self-report, which can make a clean record misleading. At Compass, you can rest assured we will be entirely transparent if anything out of standards ever occurs.
- Services are free or reduced for lower-income families — and comparable for families at or above the county's Self-Sufficiency Standard
- Monthly family events: holiday parties, cookouts, parent-teacher conferences, open houses, and dinners
- Our staff are amazing — all teachers hold or are pursuing degrees in early childhood education, with a higher-than-average retention rate
- Unmatched amenities: homecooked meals daily, onsite therapy, summer swim lessons, grocery assistance, holiday gift support for the whole family, and more
- Compass graduates are more than twice as likely as their peers to enter kindergarten considered "school-ready."
We'd love to meet your family. 💕
We frequently have a waitlist, but it can move quickly. Reach out to check availability or start your enrollment application today.