Scheduling: A contractual agreement must be made per semester for the days and hours that the Center will be used by the child. Ample time should be allowed for arriving and leaving. The Centers follow the College schedule for opening and closing, holidays, and snow days. Refunds will not be given for missed days. Full and part-time schedules are available with minimum hour requirements.

Effective Parent-Staff Communication: It is essential, to all concerned, that lines of communication be continually open between parents and staff. Parental involvement and input is encouraged. In this way we can work together toward our mutual goal of providing the very best care possible for all of our "children." The Center publishes a newsletter and sponsors parent education programs.

Daily Program Activities are planned by professionally trained teachers. Key activites provide all children with opportunities to explore life through a creatively designed child-oriented environment where learning takes place.

Interest Centers in the Classroom include: Housekeeping and Drama, Art, Construction, Music, Table Games, Readiness Activities, Water and Sand, Literacy, Science, and Book Corner.

Nutritious Snacks: The Centers provide a morning and an afternoon snack for the children present at those times. We believe that good nutrition is essential for good development. Children who are at the Centers between noon and 12:30 p.m. must bring a lunch and a beverage which will be refrigerated.

All Children Have an Opportunity to Develop:
• The ability to make choices and decisions about what to do and how to do it using his or her own time and energy effectively.

• Self-discipline and the ability to identify, pursue, and complete self-chosen and teacher-directed goals and tasks.

• The ability to work with other children and adults in group planning, cooperative efforts, and shared leadership.

• A knowledge of objects, skill in the arts, and comfort with physical movement.

• The ability to express thoughts, ideas, and feelings; to speak about, dramatize, and graphically represent experiences in order to communicate with others.

• The ability to comprehend others' spoken, written, dramatic, and graphic representations

• The ability to apply his or her reasoning abilities to a wide range of situations using a variety of materials.

• Creativity, initiative, spirit of inquiry, and openness to knowledge and other people's viewpoints.

The Montgomery College Early Learning Centers are a division of the College's Office of Auxiliary Services.

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