Child Development Center promotes a healthy learning environment

The center adheres to strict Navy policies that ensure quality child development services are provided to military and DoD families for the effective operation and accomplishment of their mission. Childcare concerns can have an impact on performance and productivity of military and non-military parents.

The NAS Jax Child De-velopment Center (CDC) has undergone some recent changes in the past year. Child Development Pro-gram Developer Mary Cano, has been with the CDC for more than a year and has made it her mission to create a safe learning environment for the children.

The center is equipped to accommodate 246 children broken down into age categories. This includes 40 infants that can be six weeks and older, 30 pre-toddlers, 56 toddlers and 120 pre-school age children up to the age of five. Their goals are to provide a safe, clean, reliable and caring environment for these children.

Preschooler Chase Torres plays on the playground equipment at the center.

The center bases their daily curriculum on learning through play. Providers work on the children's physical growth development, fine motor skills, self-help skills, teach them how to build self-esteem and handle problem solving. They work on the skills needed to help the children become successful and move on to the next level. Most of the teaching is done indirectly with the teachers respecting each child's individual development and interests through listening and patience.

Classroom ratio is determined by overall staff attendance and classroom square footage. There are eight infants per classroom with two providers in each room, 10 pre-toddlers with two providers, 14 toddlers in each room with two providers and 18 preschoolers with two providers.

''My main goal when I got here was to make the center a better looking place and to replace 20-year-old equipment with up-to-date equipment and supplies. My philosophy is that when you have a place to work that you are proud of and it looks nice, you feel good about where you are going each day. As an employee you will do a better job which benefits the children,'' said Cano.

Four-year-olds Lillianna Almazan and Amanda Cruz show off their cheeks during a lesson on body parts.

The sparkling appearance and upgraded equipment are not the only things that are new to the center. With the push on literacy and getting kids ready for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, providers are focusing a lot of their energy on literacy and creative learning for the children at all levels.

hood Programs. Last year, they began offering the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program (VPK).

''We looked into the requirements of the VPK program and saw that we met all of the criteria. It just made sense to offer this service to our parents since we are an accredited facility with highly-qualified staff,'' said Cano.

The state-funded program was implemented last year, and was designed to give parents of 4-year-olds in Florida the choice of placing their children in a high-quality early learning program.

NAS Jax Child Development Center Education Technician Gloria Almazon creates some bubbles to the delight of a group of toddlers as part of their outside activities.

The VPK program not only benefits the center and the children, but the parents as well. It offers the convenience of a one-stop-shop with a decrease in classroom sizes from 24 students to 18. Parents can drop their kids off for regular daily care to attend classes in the morning and remain for continued care without the worry of transportation that the program does not cover. Another added bonus is that since it is a state-funded program, it's free. Parents pay a wrap-around price for the before and after care ranging from $182-$370 a month instead of the standard rates of $244-$500 based on income.

''My most important goal as the program developer, is to provide children with the foundation of being able to read to succeed. We encourage parents to sign their children up with Mayor Peyton's Book Club, Scholastics Classrooms Care Program and the Jaguars Foundation Book Club. We have lots of opportunities to get children started on the path to educational success,'' stated Cano.

''We really try to focus on literacy. We have a partnership with the Navy Medical Support Command at Naval Hospital Jacksonville. They provide a team of about seven to 10 volunteers who come out weekly and read to the preschoolers as well as perform puppet shows for the toddlers,'' said Deridre Odom, CDC program supervisor.

The center also offers programs for children with speech or developmental problems through a partnership with Venetia Elementary School. Transportation is provided for the children attending classes at the school and they are safely picked up and dropped off daily at the CDC.

Each childcare provider at the center is specifically trained to work with children and they go thorough rigorous background checks including fingerprinting. They must also complete a series of 13 modules on childcare and take tests required by the Navy, after they are hired.

Completing the modules can take a few years but the they can be transferred to other accredited agencies if the provider was to transfer to another naval facility. Every provider is CPR and first aid certified. Several of the staff members have college degrees in early childhood education.

Infant Provider Peggy Janosky feeds Madeline Gould a bottle at the center.

The center also offers continued education classes on a quarterly basis by one of the center's own providers. Mina Belen, who recently received her master's degree in childhood education and curriculum design, has offered her services to the center to provide informative lectures on the development of children. She is also certified to teach CPR classes.

There has been such an overwhelming response to the continued education classes that they had to create a waiting list. The center would like to find more volunteers to conduct informative sessions in their field of expertise. They are always looking for members in special services or fields who can keep parents and providers up-to-date on current issues involving the safety and education of children. Volunteers do not have to be a parent, just a willing and able person wishing to donate their time and all volunteers are thoroughly screened at the CDC as well.

''The CDC has an open door policy that enables parents to visit as often as needed. Parents who have infants can stop in to feed their babies. We have cameras set up in each classroom so parents can come in and view their child's behavior in the classroom. Conferences are set up whenever needed,'' Odom explained. ''We also send daily reports home on the children's behavior. We annotate if they took a nap, eating habits and anything special they accomplished throughout the day. We want our parents to be comfortable with the level of care they receive.''

The CDC is open Monday through Friday from 6:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed weekends and federal holidays. Fees are based on total family income and range from $244 to $500 a month for one child. Drop-in fees are $3 per hour. All meals are included.

Child Development Home (CDH) providers offer full-time care, hourly drop-ins, evenings and 24-hour special needs. Fees are also based on total family income. ''CDC and CDH personnel can only be successful when parents and program personnel work together as a team with the ultimate goal of shaping self-confident, positive, happy children,'' said Cano ''Parents are strongly encouraged to utilize the center's open-door policy. Our doors are open for any questions, concerns or suggestions. The well-being of children is the reason for us being here.''

If anyone is interested in becoming a home provider, volunteer, care provider or would like to attend any of the quarterly classes, please contact Cano or Odom at 542-5434/5529.