FAQ

What are the hours?

A: CPSC is open from 7:30 am to 6:15 pm.

What do I do if I'm running late to pickup my child?

A: Please call the office and let us know that you are running late. We will arrange for one of our teachers to stay late. However, there is a charge for late pickups.

Are there current enrollment opportunities?

A: Enrollment is open year-round based on availability and a first-come-first-served basis. However, because these opportunities change often, please contact us for the most current list of openings. We can also add your name to our waiting list.

Is CPSC Accredited?

A: The Children's Pre-School Center has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children continuously since 1991.

How do I learn more about my child's day to day activities?

Each classroom provides daily reports on the children's activities, nap schedule, snack, lunch, and general comments about their overall well being. Parents are welcome to have an open dialogue with anyone at the school, such as teachers and other parents.

What are the ratios of teachers to children?

A: Ratios depend on the age of the children, the school, and the class room. See the Program Structure Chart.

What is your rate of teacher turnover?

A: We are very proud of our low turnover. It is a major factor in the quality of care at CPSC. Over the past 15 years, our average turnover is around 17%. This is indicative of the excellence of our program, work environment, and compensation levels. (Note: The average tenure for CPSC teachers is 7 years.) However, the national average turnover in child care is 30% - 40%. This high number is mostly due to low salaries in our industry. Since quality care depends on stable relationships between children and their teachers, high turnover rates seriously impact the quality of the care a child receives.

How long has the Executive Director been employed by CPSC?

A: Rachel Samoff established the Center in 1984 and has been its leader ever since. "I am thoroughly invested in CPSC. It is a source of great satisfaction. I love the program and the people I work with. I can't conceive of how I would manage a transition to something else. I have absolutely no plans to leave."

Do you teach academics?

A: Yes, we do. Children learn their numbers and their letters. When they leave for kindergarten, they know how to write their names, recognize lower-case and upper-case letters, and some beginning sounds. Some are beginning to read. However, all academics are taught through play-based activities. We feel it is very important for children to be excited about letters and numbers, so we integrate lessons into lots of fun and interesting activities.

How do you handle discipline?

A: We regard each instance of undesirable behavior as an important moment for teaching. When a child under the age of 2 does something inappropriate, we let the child know that what he/she did was inappropriate and then show them an appropriate choice. So if a child hit a friend, we would model and talk to them about how to be gentle with friends. Increasingly, we can discuss the problem with the child and offer alternatives. Our goal is to help children learn to make the right decision rather than just do what they are told. We teach the right behavior using supportive discussion and appropriate consequences. We establish clear, firm standards for behavior that children can follow and help them conform to these standards through teaching.

How do you handle illness in the Center?

A: Statistics show that children in group care do get sick more often than those at home with their parents. It's not drastic - one or two more colds or stomach upsets per year. Research shows that the most effective preventive measure is hand washing. Keeping the room and the toys clean is also important. Our teachers wash their hands and the hands of the children frequently, after every diaper change and before every meal.

When a child becomes ill (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, or a temperature over 101°), we send the child home. Contact us for a copy of our health policies. Despite the inherent risks, we work very hard to keep contagion to a minimum through careful hygiene, a clean center, and sensible exclusion policies. We also have a nurse on our staff who helps us with health issues at CPSC.

What kind of training do your teachers have?

A: We have three levels of teachers: Head Teachers, Teachers, and Teacher Aides. Each classroom is run by a Head Teacher. Head Teachers must have between 24 and 36 units of Early Childhood Education (ECE) units. Most of them have B.A.s. Teachers can have between 6 and 36 ECE units. Many of them have B.A.s as well. Aides don't need ECE units to be hired. They always work under the direction of a qualified teacher. (We have 7 aides in our teaching staff of 41.)

What kind of stimulation do your very young children receive?

A: Babies' brains are growing at an incredible rate. Much of their potential intellectual capacity is established in their first 3 years. So appropriate stimulation for the very young is critically important! New research on brain development states that electrical activity in the brain which lays down the new circuits needed for intellectual development is at its peak when the child is in communication with another adult. So cooing back and forth, responding to facial expressions, and the comforting behavior in response to a baby's cries for help are all critical in optimal brain growth. Most importantly, we focus on relationships between the children and the teacher. Each child is a unique individual and needs to be treated with individual sensitivity.

Babies also need to be in an environment that invites them out to try new things. They are provided with activities that will intrigue them and invite them to explore. Teachers sit on the floor with the babies, read books to them, talk to them about their play as it unfolds, and introduce them to new play opportunities which involve both large and small muscles. The teacher's role is to offer interesting possibilities and then facilitate the babies' exploration of them. We plan these activities carefully from the interests we see in the babies' play. A lesson plan is created and shared with parents every week.