About the Center
Professional Staff
The Children's Center staff are highly qualified professionals. In addition to well over 50 combined year's experience with young children, we have three staff with undergraduate degrees, one of whom is completing a masters degree. Some of our staff are currently students in the Education Department at Montgomery County Community College. We are parents of children ages 3 to 27.
Children's Center staff share a commitment to lifelong learning. This commitment leads us to explore educational philosophies and to pursue greater understanding of the diverse families we serve.
Partnering with Families
At the heart of our program are the relationships among all members of our staff and the children and the families we serve. Close partnerships between parents and staff provide an important foundation and sense of security for the children in our care.
Our Classroom Community
Learning about each other is central to our curriculum. People of all ages, cultures and backgrounds are treated with respect. The social skills of empathy, patience, cooperation and problem solving are modeled, taught and reinforced throughout the day. While at the Children's Center, our children are also developing increased self-discipline and self-control.
Individualized Guidance
Our trained teachers and assistants provide a learning experience at the Children's Center appropriate to each child's unique age and stage. There are many opportunities for the children to make choices and pursue their interests, as the teachers and assistants provide guidance appropriate to each individual's needs.
Who we Serve
The Children's Center offers full or part time schedules at reduced rates for students, staff and faculty of MCCC. We welcome children from the neighboring community to attend on a five day, half day or full day, weekly schedule.
Mixed-Age Groupings
One of the many special features of the Children's Center is the family style mixed-age grouping. In response to research, which consistently points to the importance of strong attachments with significant adults for children's healthy development, the mixed-age approach allows children to stay with the same teachers for up to 3 years. All children benefit from the wide range of activities available in a mixed-age class.
School Readiness
The variety of hands-on activities children enjoy at our center gives your child a foundation for success in school. Our staff share their own love of books with small and large groups daily. All learning experiences are designed to be appropriate to your child's developmental stage.
Physical Exercise
Our classroom includes the great outdoors. Whenever possible, we enjoy daily outings to use our large muscles and benefit from the fresh air. On a weekly basis the preschoolers visit the gym to learn with the students and staff in the Physical Education Department.
Art and Music
Art is valued as an important form of self-expression as well as a creative exploration of a world where all is new and interesting. Music, whether singing, playing an instrument, dancing or listening, is part of the daily life at our center.
And Much More …
The Children's Center students are enriched by the bounty of resources that are available on the central MCCC campus. MCCC students share health and dental information, Public Safety personnel offer lessons in personal safety, education students share creative instructional activities, and more. We are very fortunate to benefit from the assistance of Work Study students, fieldwork placements and volunteers who help in many ways, including giving our children generous amounts of one-on-one attention.
