Child Development Center: About the CDC
Philosophy
Children learn through play. It is through experimentation and exploration that children develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. In order to encourage and enhance this development of the “whole child, “ the CDC provides a variety of child-centered, age-appropriate play experiences, which include group and individual activities in a safe and nurturing environment. In addition to the developmentally appropriate curriculum, the Center strives to create a positive social environment tailored to create stable, responsive, and respectful relationships with children and their families.
Our Goals & Objectives
Our goal is to give the children a good foundation for future learning and social development and to get them ready for kindergarten. Primarily, we plan to foster feelings of competence and self-worth in children. By encouraging exploration and experimentation and allowing the children to grow and develop at their own pace, we feel we can fulfill this goal. The children are given opportunities for group and individual play and are encouraged to make their own choices and to participate in problem solving. Finally, we encourage understanding and respect for the diversity of the children and families in our Center.
The Child Development Center will:
- Provide young children with high quality education and care that promote their intellectual, physical, social, emotional, linguistic and creative growth and development.
- Demonstrate developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education.
- Generate new knowledge regarding the development and education of young children.
- Encourage collaboration with families to maximize the child’s healthy growth and learning.
- Serve as a professional development site for Antelope Valley College Early Childhood Education certificate program, California State University Child Development internship program and local high schools Regional Occupation Programs (ROP).
- Continue to mentor and guide new early childhood practitioners by our mentor teachers and mentor director.
The CDC Teaching Staff
The director and classroom teachers at the CDC are all early childhood education credential professionals with many years of experience in the child development field. The teachers are responsible for educating the children and planning and implementing the appropriate curriculum. The assistants are college students working on their degrees in child development. All employees of the AVC Child Development Center are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse per California Child Abuse Reporting Law, Penal Code Sanction 11165-11174.5.