302-443-0123
chestnutrun@ducklingselc.com

Ducklings Early Learning Center Chestnut Run, Wilmington

High-quality childcare and preschool located in the Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park in Wilmington, Delaware for infants, toddlers & pre-K.

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Welcome to Ducklings Chestnut Run in Wilmington, Delaware

Enroll today and enjoy 10% off tuition for 4 full months!

Give your child a joyful start in a nurturing, play-based learning environment where curiosity grows and con dence shines. For a limited time, families who enroll can enjoy 10% off tuition for the first four months—our way of welcoming you to the Ducklings community. This offer expires at the end of August – Enroll your child today!

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For over 30 years, Ducklings has delivered trusted child care and quality early education.

Our Here We Grow™ curriculum, created by our teachers, uses purposeful play to build critical thinking, independence, and confidence. No cookie-cutter lessons, just intentional experiences that help your child thrive.

At Ducklings, play isn’t just fun – it’s powerful stuff!

Through exploring, imagining, and creating, your kiddo is building real skills – problem-solving, independence, confidence, teamwork – all while having a blast.

Serving Families in the North and Central Wilmington community and neighboring Hockessin, Greenville, and Pike Creek, Delaware with Quality Childcare and Early Childhood Education

Open 5 days a week

7am to 6pm

6 weeks thru PreK

Every day is filled with playful, hands-on discovery that sparks curiosity and a lifelong love of exploring.

They’re not just getting ready for school, they’re building a foundation for a lifetime of growth and success.

Providing your child a quality preschool education while encouraging kids to be kids.

Have questions?
Want to come take a look around?

Let us know about you and your family and we’ll connect with you!

The Ducklings Difference

From six weeks through pre-K, we celebrate every milestone, big and small, right alongside you.

We’re Different and it Shows in Every Single Duck

Daily Photo Updates for Parents

Children Form Meaningful Friendships

Classrooms Designed for Each Age

900 sq ft Gym for Year-Round Activity

Confidence Grows Through Exploration

A Lifelong Love of Learning Begins Early

Meet Founder and Momma Duck Jody Thompson

Owner of Ducklings Early Learning Center Chestnut Run

Ducklings founder Jody Thompson brings more than 30 years of experience working with young children. Her journey began as a preschool teacher while she was majoring in child psychology, balancing her studies with raising her young daughters.

In the late 1980s, Jody went on to teach a private kindergarten class that was housed within a daycare center. At that time, most daycare programs focused solely on supervision and care, with little emphasis on early learning. Recognizing the potential to enrich children’s daily experiences, Jody took initiative by collaborating with caregivers to develop and introduce an early childhood education curriculum into the program.

Her vision helped transform traditional childcare into a more meaningful, educational environment—laying the foundation for the thoughtful, developmentally focused approach that continues to define Ducklings today.

Duckling’s realistic approach to childhood is sometimes noisy, often messy, but always fun!

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We love our teachers and teachers love our ducks.

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Visiting Ducklings Chestnut Run?

Ducklings Early Learning Center – Chestnut Run is located on Wilmington’s west side within the Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park, a well-known campus in New Castle County. The center sits just minutes from downtown Wilmington and serves families from surrounding neighborhoods and school communities, including Red Clay and Brandywine school district areas.

Its central location makes it an easy stop for families commuting to nearby schools, workplaces, and community hubs throughout northern Delaware. Nestled on a quiet, walkable campus—but close to major roads like I-95—Ducklings Chestnut Run is both connected and convenient, making it a natural part of the larger Wilmington community.

Our center offers a nurturing, engaging environment where young children can grow, explore, and learn through play. We look forward to welcoming your family!

Open

Monday – Friday
7am – 6pm

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It’s been 3 months and my son has definitely blossomed since learning here. Not only has he learned a lot from basic counting, colors, animals, to trying to put together sentences & asking questions. Along with slowly growing his social skills. He also has so much fun and is very excited to go to school to see his friends and teachers every day. He basically runs to his classroom 🙂

My son has been going to Ducklings since the opening in February. Nothing makes him more excited than waking up and heading to school. He enjoys all his friends and activities they do daily. Since he’s entered the Pre-K program — his independence has excelled tremendously. I love the look and feel of the center as well as feel comfortable with the current staff. Angelina, the director has done such a great job at communicating if anything is needed. I really enjoy the activities, updates and photos provided as it makes it easier to talk about his day when he’s home. Overall, I recommend this center to anyone who is looking. I believe the structure and schedules they adhere to will help my son when he moves to kindergarten next year.

My daughter has been at Ducklings Early Learning Center for almost 4 months and we absolutely LOVE IT! The center is extremely clean and well organized. The teachers are great communicators and send pictures and updates all throughout the day, which is such a nice thing to have. I feel that my daughter has really progressed in language, even though she’s only one she has picked up on a lot since we have been at ducklings. I absolutely recommend this daycare to any parent that is looking for a safe and friendly environment for their little one to grow.

I can’t say enough good things about Ducklings at Chestnut Run. I was struggling to find a pre-k 4 program that fit all the needs I had for my son. I wanted him to have experience with the structure of a classroom setting, while also having reinforcement of the things we put emphasis on at home – i.e. empathy, working through our emotions, independence, etc. I toured several places in the area, and this is the ONLY place I felt wowed by. In fact, after my tour and speaking with Angelina, I cancelled the rest of my appointments and began the (very easy) enrollment process. This was the place for us!

My daughter just started attending this daycare a month ago and my daughter absolutely loves the daycare she attends, and it’s been such a joy to see her thrive in such a warm and nurturing environment. Her teachers are incredibly kind, patient, and attentive, always going the extra mile to make sure each child feels supported. It’s amazing how quickly she’s picking up new skills, whether it’s her language, social interactions, or little projects, she’s growing more confident every day. It’s clear that she’s not only happy there, but also excited to learn, and that brings us so much peace of mind as parents!

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Nondiscrimination in Services: Admission, the provision of services, and referrals of residents shall be made without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, sex, or Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Ducklings is an equal opportunity employer.