Mission

Our mission is to provide a seamless delivery of quality care and services for eligible children and youth, 6 weeks through 18 years of age, that enhance readiness and well being of the workforce and their families by reducing conflicts between parental responsibilities and their on the job mission requirements.

 Philosophy

Our Child and Youth & School Services programs are designed to help your child or youth develop within him/her a positive self-concept that will help them become productive adults.  We strive to do this by providing a safe, healthy, and stimulating environment where children and youth feel accepted and respected for being the unique person he or she is.  We provide a place where they have opportunities to participate in age appropriate, developmental activities as part of a group or individually that allows for optimal social, emotional, physical, creative, and cognitive growth.  We provide a place where they can safely express their feelings without withdrawing, fighting, or giving up their rights.  We provide a place where they are free to make choices and then accept the responsibility for the choices they make.  We provide character education that will help develop and nurture a spirit of cooperation, creative problem solving, and individual responsibility which will impact positively upon their lives.

Program Operating Hours

 Child Development Center Building 273 Monday through Friday 0600-1730

We are closed on all Federal Holidays, with the addition of the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Friday before President’s Day (for staff development) and the Friday before Mother’s Day (for provider appreciation).  The program may close additional hours or days at the discretion of the Command.  These days will be posted at the center in advance for parents to make other child care arrangements.

January - New Year’s Day, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

February  - Washington’s Birthday, Staff Development Day

May  - Provider’s Appreciation, Memorial Day

July - Independence Day

September - Labor Day

October - Columbus Day

November - Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day & Day After

December - Christmas Day

Program Descriptions      

We develop programs to make sure we work together with you in creating a caring environment for your child. From the very

first moment in a child care program, we assign you and your child a primary program assistant to ensure that your child receives individual attention. The primary program assistant plays a special role and is responsible for your child’s prime times: those critical one-to-one moments of caring and play, nurturing and communication. The other staff in the room and many others in the center also will become special people to your child. They will learn just what your child needs from you and the primary program assistant.

Full Day in the Child Development Center - Developmental care for infants, pretoddlers, toddlers, preschool and pre-kindergarten age child on a regular basis for 5 to 11 hours a day.

Hourly Care in the Child Development Center – Developmental care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years on a short term, intermittent basis. Call (586) 282- 3010 or 282-2852for availability.

The Child Development Center adheres to a multi-age grouping policy.  This means that children who are at least one and sometimes two years apart in age are in the same activity room group.  Multi-age grouping is intended to optimize what can be learned from interactions within a diverse age group.  In this approach, children do mostly individual or small group work in which peer interactions occur.  Staff look for ways to enrich the environment as children refine their present skills and move to more advanced developmental levels.  Children are allowed to grow at individual rates. Their uniqueness is respected and appreciated because it is understood that everyone is different and learns in a different way. Planning is done according to children’s interest and developmental stage rather than to their age/grade levels.  The Creative Curriculum is used throughout the 0-5 programs.  Creative Curriculum is a comprehensive, research-validated, integrated curricula that provides everything our program needs to achieve positive, consistent outcomes for children.  Our curriculum rests on a foundation of more than 75 years of scientific research about child development and learning theory that leads to specific instructional strategies based on how young children learn best.  The Creative Curriculum takes what has been learned from theorists such as Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Howard Gardner, as well as recent research studies about language, literacy and math development.

The Child Development staff are skilled observers of children and knowledgeable about what is needed to enhance their development at any age.  Skill in planning and managing schedules and equipment/materials as well as the ability to operate in a team-teaching situation is a must in the multi-age environment. 

The Child Development Center offers the following multiage class settings:

·         Infant/Pretoddler Activity room – 6 weeks through 18 months

·         Pretoddler/Toddler Activity room – 18 months through 2 years 11 months

·         Preschool Activity room – 2 years 6 months through 4 years 

·         Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten Activity rooms – 4 years (by Dec. 1) through 5 years

Infants & PreToddler

  We coo, cuddle, rock, sing and bond with your baby. Our specially designed infant care rooms are places where babies feel safe, secure and happy. Personal cribs, separate areas for changing and feeding are different ways to ensure the health and safety of your child. Through simple games like peek-a-boo, our loving staff begin the foundational work for later learning and help infants develop motor skills. But we never forget that you are your child’s most important teacher, so we’ll work with you, give you daily reports and offer tips on how to reinforce what your child learns in his/her time with us.

Infants are unique and have their own patterns for play, feeding and sleeping. We use these patterns as our guide to introduce daily activities that will prepare your infant for life. Your written instructions are always helpful; we have forms available for this purpose. Our highly trained staff offers a nurturing and creative environment for infants to develop their bodies and minds. We are committed to making this first transition away from home easy and natural for you and your child.

Infants are held for all feedings, until they are ready to be fed in a high chair.  Each child is held, rocked and given opportunities for play daily.  Individualized planned play activities develop large and small muscles and encourage speech and language development.

Parents are asked to provide the following items (those that apply) on a daily basis:

v  Sterilized plastic bottles with caps or prepared formula in sterilized plastic bottles with caps

o   Labeled with child’s name and current date

o   Provide one sterilized bottle per feeding

v  Unopened baby food and cereal

o   Labeled with child’s name and current date

v  Change of clothing (at least one)

o   Including undershirt, socks, and outerwear

v  Supply of disposable diapers and wipes

Children’s diapers are checked every 60 minutes (or more often if necessary) and changed if wet or soiled.  Please bring your child to the center clean and dry.  Thank you.

PreToddler & Toddler

It is a whole new world when babies take to their feet. They walk, they talk, and they begin to develop relationships with each other. Your toddler has so many things he or she wants to see and do, and we'll be there to guide your child every step of the way. Toddlers learn through sensory experiences that enhance their cognitive, language, motor and social skills. They turn ideas into words and phrases to better express themselves, and practice the value of sharing and cooperating through group play. Children at this stage start to develop friendships and gain confidence as they use their words and thoughts to interact with others. It is important for children to express themselves creatively; we encourage all children to develop their unique skills and interests.  Twos are exploding in their power to communicate, to move purposely, and to assert their independence and individuality.

Children moving into the pretoddlers and toddler rooms will be prepared for activities in a small group.  For safety reasons, items including high chairs, pacifiers, and bottles will not be used.  Child will be on the same eating and napping schedule.  Toilet training will occur in a manner and time frame consistent the child’s developmental readiness and parental wishes. For more information on toilet training ask the staff for a copy of our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Limits and behavioral guidelines will be established within the activity space.  Children participate in activities such as art, music, exercise and free play.  Activities are designed to provide opportunities for:

v  Developing speech and language skills

v  Increasing attention span

v  Developing large and small muscles and coordination

v  Independent functioning through self-help skills

Outdoor play is an important part of your child’s day.  Children must be dressed for the current weather conditions.  All children will go outside.  Special arrangements cannot be made for your child to stay indoors.

All children rest on mats from 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A special blanket or soft toy may be kept in the child’s cubby for use during rest time only.  No other toys can be brought into the center. Each child leaves with a daily experience sheet recording the day's activities.

Preschool

Preschool children are exploding with expanding interests. At this age, they begin to investigate the workings of a widening world and experiment with their emerging use of language.  Activities and schedules will be planned to promote cooperative play, positive peer relationships, understanding of others’ needs and the ability to handle and express feelings in an acceptable manner.

Equipment, activities and space will be provided to promote perceptual and motor coordination and the development of small and large muscles.  Activities and materials will be provided to stimulate interest in readiness concepts such as size, shape, color, letters, and numbers.  Formal instruction in reading and writing is not appropriate for most preschool children.  Opportunities will be provided to note relationships, problem solve, and develop language.  A number of field trips are taken throughout the year to enhance our developmental program.  Outdoor play is provided for children on a daily basis.  Children must be dressed for the current weather conditions.

All children rest on mats from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Quiet individual activities which do not disturb sleeping children will be allowed for children not napping.  A special blanket or soft toy may be kept in the child’s cubby for use during rest time only.  No other toys can be brought into the center except on designated special days. Each child leaves with a daily experience sheet recording the day's activities.

PreKindergarten

PreKindergarten is a critical time for children as they begin the adventure of a lifetime of learning. Every day your child is learning and doing more, which is why our PreKindergarten program is designed to challenge your child.

Our caring, experienced program assistants are dedicated to providing a rich, nurturing environment that will prepare your child for kindergarten. We promote independence in an organized atmosphere, as it is increasingly important for children to be their own thinkers. We also teach children to work well within a group through listening, sharing and cooperation.

 Our practices are in concert with the local schools that the children will be attending. At the same time, the curriculum builds off the child’s knowledge base and skills, learning style, and interests. There is a clear emphasis on the development of strong language, math, and science skills. Important “school skills” of listening carefully, following through on a sequence of tasks, and working cooperatively are reinforced.

All children rest on mats from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Quiet individual activities which do not disturb sleeping children will be allowed for children not napping.  A special blanket or soft toy may be kept in the child’s cubby for use during rest time only.  No other toys can be brought into the center except on designated special days. Each child leaves with a daily experience sheet recording the day's activities.

Kindergarten

The kindergarten program will be offered as a supplement to a community school kindergarten program for those children needing full day care or before and after school care.  A range of activity choices including art, music, movement, drama and cooking will be available that allow a change of pace between elementary school and our program.  Meals and snacks will be served before and after school.  Please notify the desk if your child will be attending when there is no school.