FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Purposes and Goals

The Child Development Center is a four star licensed center which attempts to meet the wide-range of spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs of each child within the framework of a protective environment. Our prime purpose is to provide a warm, accepting climate in which an educational thread links all of the program components. Our day care center hopes to provide:

• A bright, stimulating environment designed to accommodate a variety of activities.
• A wide range of interesting equipment, toys, and materials geared to specific developmental stages and needs of pre-school children.
• A well-planned curriculum.
• A wide range of supportive services meeting the spiritual, social, medical, psychological, nutritional needs of growing children and their families.
• An experienced, competent staff trained in child development and deployed in such a manner which encourages continuing child-adult interaction.

Our progam hopes to enable a child to learn to trust adults, to feel comfortable and secure, and to have self-confidence as a beginning learner. Our staff members strive to serve as behavior models that provide learning experiences.

The goal of our center is to enable the children to grow in the following ways:

• To help children enhance their self-image.
  
• To foster children's trust in and enjoyment of other people and to teach them respect for the rights of other people.
  
• To develop children's abilities to solve problems and make decisions.
• To provide ample opportunity for children to develop their spiritual, intellectual, physical and social skills.
• To encourage expression of ideas and feelings through the effective use of language.
• To provide a variety of materials that encourage creative play and learning in activities that challenge children without frustrating them.
• To support families by developing communication between the center and the family concerning the child's progress, problems, and concerns.

Procedures for Enrollment

The First Presbyterian Child Development Center maintains a waiting list for each of the six classes. Parents must submit a completed application for enrollment, dated, and indicating when the need for care is anticipated. Submitting the application places them on the waiting list.

Church members and church employees will be given first priority for enrollment. Priority also will be given to families who already have a child enrolled in the center.

The Director will be responsible to review the waiting list and contact parents as spaces become available. First Presbyterian CDC maintains an open door policy and you are welcome to allow your child to visit and meet teachers and friends while parents review policies and procedures with the director. An enrollment date will be set, including hours of participation, arrival and departure.

An immunization record and a medical report for each child, completed by the parents and the child's doctor, must be provided for the child's records.

Parents shall also provide a list of approved people who may pick up their child and be contacted in an emergency situation. Pick-up persons may be asked to provide picture identification for our staff. Children must be signed in and signed out on the designated sheet at each classroom.

Days/Hours

1. Open 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
2. Daycare services are for your working hours plus travel time. The time a child remains at the center should not exceed 10 hours per day.
3. Children should arrive by 9 a.m. If you cannot get your child to the center by this time, please call the center before 9 a.m.
4. Children must be picked up by 5:30 p.m. The center will close promptly at 5:30 p.m. and cannot be responsible for your child after 5:30 p.m. Please do not impose on our staff - they are not paid after 5:30 p.m.
5. Holidays (center closed):

• New Year's Day or Monday following
• Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• July 4, or Monday following
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving - Thursday and Friday
• Christmas - three days, posted yearly at least one month before the holiday
• Two days to allow for staff training and preparation. Dates will be posted at least one month in advance.
• Snow - It is our policy to be open and reasonable effort will be made, however, when weather and traffic advisories are suggesting that people remain at home to avoid hazardous road conditions, a TV announcement will be issued on Channel 8 WGHP Reading: CDC First Pres. Ch., Burl. or on Channel 9 WFMY Reading: First Presby. Church CDC/Burlington.
• In the event of extreme weather conditions, the Center may be open later, or close early at the Director's discretion. Parents will be notified.

Child/Staff Ratios Maintained for Single Age Groupings

Fees For Service

Current fees can be obtained by contacting the Director, Nikki Michaels at 226-7055. Families in need of financial assistance should make application with the Department of Social Services.