The Child Development Center, which provides childcare while parents attend classes, job training and/or work, serves children between the ages of 2 and 5 during the day. Evening child care is available for children between 3 and 12 years of age from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Childcare is free for income eligible parents and nutritious meals are included. The Center is staffed by teachers trained in early childhood education, and student assistants and college lab students work with the staff to provide an environment that is developmentally appropriate for young children. In recent years the Center has experienced growth due to the development of the Child Development program, a State Preschool Contract that enables student/parents to receive free childcare, and the availability of CalWORKs funding. The Child Care Food Program provides free breakfast lunch, snacks and dinner for children at the Center. Limited facilities for toddler care in the surrounding community also has been cause for an increase in applications for attendance. The limited nature of the facilities of the Center at this time requires that the Center maintain a waiting list.

Personnel - At this time the Center employs three full-time faculty members, three part-time faculty members, one full-time classified staff member and 17 student workers.

Equipment - The safety surface under the climbing structure is in need of replacement.

Facilities - The current facility is isolated from campus, and at times provides an unsafe drop-off and pick-up point for children as it is located near a main thoroughfare. It is too small and the area in Building I is in only fair condition. The area in Building II, which is new, is in good condition.

Future Program

The size of the Child Development Center is expected to increase at the same rate as the overall college enrollment. Because of this increase, and because the Child Development program needs more lab space for observations, It is expected that a permanent facility for the Child Development Center will be built within five years.

Personnel - See Projected Faculty and Staff Needs.

Equipment - At this time several pieces of equipment need either repair or replacement, including a climbing structure, an awning, tricycles, and a laminator. A tricycle storage unit is needed now. A complete equipment list has been created for the time when an all-new facility is available.

Facilities - Plans call for a new 12,000 sq. ft. facility to be completed within five years. Architectural drawings have been completed.

Staff Development - The Center conducts monthly staff workshops on nutrition, curriculum, first aid/CPR, discipline and other topics. A campus-wide disaster training sequence is needed.