Welcome :: Childcare Program
Purpose and Philosophy
The primary objective of Coddington Child Care is to provide safe, high quality child care for young children. The Child Care is a program of the Coddington Road Community Center, a non-profit corporation. The program is concerned with the mental, physical, social and emotional needs of the children it serves. The Center introduces the children to enriching experiences and invites them to a lifetime of learning. By providing experiences in which each child can be successful, a positive attitude for learning is encouraged. A child learns in the broadest sense through daily experiences to make decisions, carry out responsibilities, express him/herself creatively, and discover friendships. Play, encouragement of curiosity and discovery, and enjoyable discussions with others help children learn.
The program encourages parents to participate in the Center's activities at whatever level is possible within the confines of their schedule. The integration of a child's home and child care time is one of our goals.
Location & Hours
The Child Care is a program of the Coddington Road Community Center, which is located about three miles south of downtown Ithaca at 920 Coddington Road, just past the King Road and Burns Road intersections. The facility includes; a fenced-in, shady playground, a ball field, a blacktop for tricycle riding, picnic pavilions and our building, which has three classrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. Child Care is available Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., year-round, except for the 12 holidays and one staff workday we are closed.
Staff
The Center employs a team of teachers for each group of children. New teachers are chosen by a committee of staff and parents on the basis of their training in early childhood development, previous experience, commitment to the field of child care, and, patience, warmth and sensitivity in dealing with young children. The staff continues to grow professionally through participation in workshops, reading professional literature and attending staff meetings for in service training. When staff are away from the Center because of illness, vacation or attending workshops, substitute teachers will be in the classroom. We try to use regular substitutes so they will be familiar to the children.
Regulatory Agencies
The Child Care program is licensed and regulated by the New York State Department of Social Services. Our licensor works out of the Syracuse regional office. A copy of the current regulations is available on the bulliten board outside the office. We are also inspected by the Tompkins County Health Department and the Town of Ithaca Building Inspector. Our food program is regulated by the New York State Department of Health.
Coddington Road Community Center
As a not-for-profit corporation, the community center has a volunteer Board of Directors and several standing committees. Many child care program parents have served on the Board and its committees and, in fact, the Center could not function without that commitment from volunteers. We encourage inquiries to the Director of the Center for details about how you can help.
Admission
The Center has a program for Toddlers, ages 18 months to 3 years, Preschoolers, ages 3-5 years, and After School children ages 5 years and up. Admission is on a first-come first-served, space available basis for full-time care. The same is true of part time care if the requested hours will fit into the overall schedule. A phone call is all that is needed to be placed on the waiting list if space is not available. No child will be discriminated against because of race, creed, color, national origin or sex. In order to enroll a child at the Center a number of forms need to be completed and returned with the required registration fee. A refundable deposit is also required and will be held on account. It will be refunded as long as 30 calendar days notice is given before withdrawing.
Daily Routine
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•Choice of free-play activities, art activities.
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•Clean-up and Breakfast.*
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•Circle time, guided group activity.
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•Outdoor play or indoor gross motor play.
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•Lunch* and wash up.
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•Nap/rest time.
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•Afternoon snack.
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•Outdoor or indoor free play.
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•Clean-up and story time.
*Meals: Children sit at their table with a care giver and are served family style. Meals are prepared by the Center's cook. There is no additional charge for meals. Menus are provided and posted in the classroom. We will work with you if your child has special dietary needs.
Group Size
There are 12 children a day in the Toddler group and the child to teacher ratio is 4 to 1. The Preschool room is licensed for 18 with a child to teacher ratio of 6 or 7 to 1.
Classroom Management
The techniques used at our Center are consistent with a positive, problem solving approach to classroom management. Our teachers are trained to recognize that young children are just learning self-control. The teacher’s job is to give guidance in the direction of self-discipline, learning to cope and acting independently. When problems arise the child’s feelings and emotional needs must always be acknowledged and respected. In all cases the inappropriate behavior is the target, not the child. A child may need to have a brief time to “cool off” in a quiet, supervised area if they totally lose their self-control, but this is used as the exception, not as a rule, after other methods, such as redirecting the behavior or reminding of the rules, have failed. Our employee handbook contains many articles and details on this subject. Parents are welcome read it for more information concerning what we consider appropriate teaching practices. We will also share information with you through our newsletters that we feel will interest and help you as parents and provide another link between home and school.
