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Expanded Child Development Center opens The newest addition to Moorpark College is now open and ready to accommodate the needs of students and young children. The stateoftheart Child Development Center will offer services to the college and community, while providing an ideal laboratory setting for the child development instructional program, according to college spokesperson Jeanne Brown. The center will serve more than 100 children from toddler to preschool age. There are five classrooms, a multipurpose room, a faculty workroom, a lounge and offices. Each of the classrooms will have an observation booth, with direct access to the new outdoor play yard. "We are currently full, but anyone can download the application and fill it out and submit it to the waiting list," said Linda Cravens, professor and child development department chair. First priority is given to students, staff and faculty. Community members are then accepted, space permitting, Cravens said. About 65 percent of the children at the center have parents who attend Moorpark College. The Moorpark College Child Development Center offers a comprehensive childcare program for toddlers and preschoolers. The facility is also used as a lab school for students majoring in child development. The center is ranked in the top 5 percent of childcare centers in the country. It is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and licensed by the state of California. The aim of the childcare program is to enhance the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children through a developmentally appropriate hands-on program, according to college officials. About 900 students are entered in the child development program at Moorpark College. "The new center will allow us to meet the needs of a greater number of students in the future," Cravens said. College students will also have the opportunity to study and observe children in several of their classes and they will be able to interact with the children in the practicum classes. The center follows the Moorpark College academic calendar and is open Monday through Friday. Childcare classrooms contain bathroom facilities and storage space for art supplies. The direct access to the play yard through classroom patio doors provides further security. There is a deep roof overhang along the entire south façade to create shaded outdoor spaces off each classroom. The center is centrally located on the campus near the main perimeter road, which facilitates parent dropoff traffic without interfering with collegebound traffic or campus operations, college officials said. Program faculty all have a minimum of a master's degree. "We are a full-inclusion site, meaning we do accept children with special needs. However, we have a limit as to how many can be accepted," said Cravens. The grand opening for the Child Development Center will be 3 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 18. The center is on the southeast side of the campus. The public is invited. In a Nutshell The new child development center opened Jan. 8. The building is 9,177 square feet. It cost $6.29 million and was funded by Measure S, the 2002 Ventura County voter-approved construction bond. For more details, go to www.moorparkcollege.edu/cdc. |
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