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Child Development Center in Spring

The Mendocino College Child Development Center has been serving the college community since 1978. It is a child development center for children 18 months to 6 years old and is designed to serve three goals:

  • Child Care
  • Student Training
  • Parent Education

Child Development students observe and work with children in the daily program.

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  1. Philosophy
  2. Teaching Staff
  3. Toddler Program
  4. Preschool Program
  5. Hours & Fees
  6. Apply / Contact Us
  7. FAQs

The staff at the Child Development Center believe that a high quality early childhood education program will provide a safe and nurturing environment, which promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children while responding to the needs of  families. We offer a well-planned, developmentally appropriate curriculum based on individual needs of the children. We provide a consistent core of well-trained staff and referral/support services for families as a whole. The Child Development Center is operated on a non-discriminatory basis offering equal treatment and access to services without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or ancestry.

PARENT PARTICIPATION

All parents are encouraged to participate in the children’s programs. College units can be obtained for regular weekly participation. All student parents receiving subsidized childcare are required to register for 1 unit of CDV 70, which requires two hours of parent participation per week and scheduled parent meetings.

The teachers are well qualified, certified professionals in Early Childhood Education. The associate teachers have units and experience in ECE. Parents and Work Study students also assist in the classrooms. Students enrolled in Early Childhood Education classes participate in the classroom to gain experience.

The Child Development Center has one classroom-which we refer to as the Duckling room-for children who are 18 months to 30 months old. The Duckling classroom focuses on respect for the child in all interactions and activities and sensitivity to cultural background. The teachers attend to the individual needs, which creates the important bond between child and caregiver in the absence of the parent. Routines such as diapering, toileting, eating and sleeping are considered key learning experiences for the children as well as activities in art, music, large and small motor, sensory play, pretend play, and language.

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The Child Development Center also offers care for children for 2 ½ -6 years in two preschool classrooms: the Starfish and Dolphins. The program provides a developmentally appropriate approach that includes periods of child-initiated play and Teacher-directed activities. The Center staff strive to create an atmosphere in which individual needs of the children can be met in a comfortable, supportive setting. Indoor and outdoor activities include art, music, fine and gross motor activities, woodworking, dramatic play, rich language experiences, science and nature, cooking, and emergent ideas that the children develop. Healthy meals and snacks are provided in a relaxed, family-style manner, and an opportunity for rest is included in a typical day. Occasional walking field trips are taken on-campus, and community resources are brought into the classroom for added interest and exposure. The primary goal is to maintain a child-oriented, nurturing environment that is rich with variety and choice.

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SCHOOL HOURS

The Child Development Center follows the college calendar- opening the first day of classes and closing the last day of finals. The Child Development Center also runs an intersession during winter and summer months.

The Child Development Center is open from 7:45 am-5:15 pm Monday through Friday.    

FUNDING AND FEES

We have private pay slots as well as subsidized. Depending on your income and need for childcare, you may be eligible for subsidized childcare.

PRIVATE PAY

The Child Development Center also has childcare slots available on a private pay basis.

Private pay fees are as follows:

TODDLER

18 months-3 years old        Full day (6.5 hours or more)                $55.50

PRESCHOOL

3 years- 6 years old        Full day (6.5 hours or more)                $42.00

SUBSIDIZED

The Child Development Center has grants through the CA Department of Education and CA Department of Social Services to provide subsidized early learning and care services to families that qualify. There may be a monthly co-pay based on a families’ size and gross monthly income.              

If you are interested in applying for a slot at the center for your child, please complete the application and then:

  • Email it to jwood@mendocino.edu, or
  • Fax it to (707) 467-1059, or
  • Mail it to Child Development Center, 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah CA 95482

Feel free to call the Child Development Center at (707)468-3089 if you have any questions, need to update information on your application, or would like more information.  

If you are interested in applying for a slot at the center for your child, please complete the application and then:

  • Email it to jwood@mendocino.edu, or
  • Fax it to (707) 467-1059, or
  • Mail it to Child Development Center, 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah CA 95482

Feel free to call the Child Development Center at (707) 468-3089 if you have any questions, need to update information on your application, or would like more information.  

Staff

Frequently Asked Questions

 

We're happy to answer questions about the Child Development Center and below are some of the most frequently asked:

Do you have to be a student at the college to enroll your child at the CDV Center?

No, but we do give priority to students and employees of the college.

Do you have any openings?

We do most of our enrollments prior to the start of each semester, but anytime we have a vacancy we go to our waiting list to fill that spot. We encourage you to submit your application and be placed on the waiting list.

How long is the waiting list?

This is one of the more difficult questions to answer as it depends on many factors including, the age of the classroom where we have the opening, the age of the child, etc. We follow state guidelines for enrollment priority for our subsidized families and we go by the date application was received for private pay. We keep applications on file for a year and you can call to update your status as a student, etc. anytime.

Does my child have to be potty trained to attend?

No. Our teaching staff will develop a toileting plan with you and support this process as your child shows signs of readiness.

Do you do drop-in care?

No, we do not provide drop-in care. We provide an early learning environment with curriculum and a structured daily schedule. 

What is the adult to child ratio?

Our toddler classroom has one teacher for every four children. Our preschool program has one teacher for every eight children.