Preschool

Children’s Learning Center is open from 9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday

Extended hours are available from:
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., Early Bird Drop Off 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Late Pick Up

Not at this time. Since we are first and foremost here to educate your child and help them navigate their visual impairment in a school setting, we are focusing on that at this time.

We do, however, have extended hours available to students enrolled and attending the preschool. The Preschool is open year-round and offers day camp opportunities during the summer.

Parents should refer to the CLC’s calendar to be sure school is in session. Every effort is made to remind parents of school closings. If in doubt, please call CLC before leaving home to be sure school is in session.

Quite simply, everything is one-of-a-kind with our preschool since this has never been done before in the state! From the moment you sign your child up for preschool at Children’s Learning Center, our teachers and staff are with you from your home to our front door/every step of the way. Our teachers start out by doing an assessment at home with you and your child.

This allows the same teachers who will be interacting with your child on a daily basis to better understand the needs they will have in a classroom setting. It also allows your child to become familiar with the teachers before ever setting foot in the classroom to be more comfortable on the first day of school.

This approach is very customized and personal from the first interaction to ensure a smooth transition.

The classroom provides children with low or no vision opportunities to interact with their peers and engage in activities that will further drive their educational and life skill development.

We have a curriculum that would be taught in a traditional preschool setting that is modified for our children who are visually impaired. Everything from objects to writing and reading is modified as part of the creative curriculum to ensure children get the best teaching and instruction. A typical day starts with an opening routine followed by large group work, vocabulary, discussion, and choice time. Since children will grow up experiencing the need to make choices on a daily basis outside of the classroom, we provide an opportunity to start making choices early on in development through a controlled environment. Other objects for development and learning include, cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, mathematics, language, science and technology, social studies, and the arts.

The curriculum is designed utilizing various assessments including: Ages & Stages questionnaires (ASQ), Brigance, and Gold Standard PBL.

We have a special education teacher and a teacher for the blind and visually impaired on staff full time. They each bring more than twenty years of experience to ensure the highest quality of education for each student. With a low student-teacher ratio classroom, children will learn more at a faster pace increasing their confidence and lesson engagement.

Other objects for development and learning include, cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, mathematics, language, science and technology, social studies, and the arts. Aside from our common core, we also utilize programs as part of our expanded core curriculum. It’s used to define the concepts and skills that require special instruction for students who are blind and visually impaired. These include compensatory skills, sensory efficiency, orientation & mobility, self-determination, career education, assistive technology, independent living skills, recreation & leisure, and social skills. We also utilize programs as part of our expanded core curriculum with both a music therapy teacher and an occupational therapist on-site for select school days.

After the initial assessment, a secondary assessment with the parents will be held mid-school year. This is to evaluate and gauge the areas in which a child needs more attention and where they are excelling.

Our facility has 24/7 surveillance and secured entry to ensure the safety of students at all times. Multiple staff members are on-site at all times during school hours to provide the best care and a safe classroom environment.

Upon arrival to Children’s Learning Center, all parents, guests/visitors, drivers, and volunteers must sign in. Parents/Caregivers need to put on their name tags. Guests/visitors are to obtain a Visitor Badge at the front office. Please stop and get a badge even if you are known at the school.

At the end of the school day, children are released only to those who are designated by parents/guardians with written permission or to drivers who have been approved by Children’s Learning Center and whom parents know will be transporting their child.

These are all systems in place to ensure that safety is held to the highest priority at all times.

Children’s Learning Center provides a variety of food experiences including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all snacks. In many cases, children will be introduced to new foods. In addition, children will interact with and be exposed to a variety of animals, please make sure you have identified any potential allergies on your child’s health form. It’s important that you complete (and update as needed) the appropriate health forms and notify staff of any allergies or health problems. Children’s Learning Center is a Nut Free Zone.

If you are going to be late dropping off or picking up, please give the school so teacher’s can plan accordingly. A $10 late pick-up fee will be assessed for every 10-minute increment the child stays past the scheduled program time beginning at 1 minute past the end of their scheduled program time.

Before and after care does not cover tardiness – you must be pre-registered to have your child participate in before or after care. The late fee is due at the time of pickup or before the participant returns to CLC for any program.

If the child is not picked up 30 minutes after their program has concluded, the proper authorities will be notified.

Please dress your child in washable play clothes easily handled by them, especially during toileting. Tennis shoes or closed-toed shoes are required because they provide more support and safety for playground activity.

Wearing shorts under dresses is recommended for outdoor climbing and playing. Make sure your child has appropriate clothing for play outside (coats, sweaters, hats, etc.).

Please label all clothes with the child’s first and last name.