Child Development Center

As a ministry of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, our child development program provides the foundation necessary for children and their families to grow spiritually, physically, emotionally and cognitively. At the present time we serve 50 families at our center. We feel our center has the responsibility to bring whole families together along with educators and church members to build a community where children can feel safe and express themselves.

From these beliefs, our philosophies for the children at our center are as follows:

• To be lifelong learners.
• To understand themselves and others.
• To develop the skills to work with other people effectively.
• To appreciate and respect diversity.

Our curriculum identifies goals in all areas of development:

• Social: to help children feel comfortable, make friends, and feel that they are part of a group.
• Emotional: to help children experience pride and self confidence, develop independence and self control.
• Cognitive: to help children become confident learners by letting them try out their own ideas and experience success, and by helping them acquire learning skills such as the ability to solve problems.
• Physical: to help children increase their large and small motor skills and feel confident about what their bodies can do.

Activities:  Here at Good Shepherd Child Development Center, we believe that children learn through play.  Our curriculum and activities portray that idea. We, as a staff, provide the tools to help children experience hands on learning. Outdoors is also a very important part of our curriculum.  Children can run, jump, climb and swing to exercise their bodies and develop coordination and balance.

Enrollment:  As mentioned earlier we have 50 families enrolled at our center, this fall all our classes will be at capacity, with a waiting list of families who would like to enroll in our program. We have 3 Infants, 5 Toddlers, 8 daycare, 10 three year old preschool children, 17 four year old preschool children, a Before and After school program and a Summer program.

In closing, we pray that each child, parent and employee will experience the Love of God as they walk through the doors of our center each day.

Respectfully Submitted,
Dana Strickler, Program Director

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
—Mark 10:16