Return to Main Menu

Pilot child care offered beginning Jan. 8 by Cindy Abole Public Relations MUSC’s pilot initiative to offer near-campus child care for MUSC employees and students is here. MUSC has teamed with the Church of the Holy Communion and TodayCare Children’s Centers Inc. to provide experienced child care at MUSC beginning in 2007.    The MUSC Child Development Preschool, located at the Church of the Holy Communion (218 Ashley Ave.), provides a new service for parents with children, offering specialized, full-time child care and development within an accredited preschool program. Beginning Jan. 8, the program will open to children, ages 3 to 5, weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Enrollment will  open to MUSC/MUHA faculty, staff, students and UMA employees. To ensure its long-term success, the program will begin as a pilot program for approximately 25 preschool age children and expand accordingly. Weekly tuition fees will be $140 per child.      Teachers Jodi Reason, right, and Melissa Brown organize one of several classrooms or learning centers that will be used by 25 preschool children as part of the partnership between the church and TodayCare Children's Centers Inc. To help parents and guardians realize the preschool program first hand, the program will sponsor an open house from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., weekdays, Dec. 4 to 15. Interested participants can meet teachers, talk to staff and review the facilities. During this period parents or guardians can apply to be considered for enrollment online. Attendance at the open house is not required for a child to be considered. Watch for future articles in “The Catalyst” and broadcast e-mail for information on how to register.   The program’s enrollment period is slated from Dec. 18 to 22. Applicants who have applied for consideration will be assigned through an independent lottery system. Enrollment acceptance will be offered in sequential order established by the lottery. After the initial enrollment is established, applicants not contacted will comprise the official waiting list. Subsequent applications will be added to the waiting list in the order they are received. After the pilot group is accepted, parents or guardians will be provided enrollment packets to complete prior to the Jan. 8 start date. This will allow time for the processing of enrollment forms and give parents the opportunity to provide notice to their current child care providers.      The goal of TodayCare and MUSC’s preschool partnership is to provide parents and guardians with an option for child care services that’s safe, secure, convenient and effective as an accredited learning environment focused on excellence. All of TodayCare Children’s Centers are accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), meeting more than 160 criteria and regarded as the gold standard by parents, educators and child care facilities.   Teachers test out the swings and outside play areas of the new MUSC Child Development Preschool located at the Church of Holy Communion. The facility, created initially as a pilot program for children ages 3 to 5, is slated to open Jan. 8. MUSC’s preschool will be managed by Kim Hovren, center director, and assisted by four credentialed teachers specializing in child development. The facility prides itself in exceeding the student-teacher ratio required by South Carolina by providing one teacher per 8 students, according to Hovren.   “This is an exciting time,” said Hovren, also a mother who was inspired to join the TodayCare Children’s Center staff as a personal commitment to provide excellent child care services for working parents. “I’ve been enlightened by how much work has been put into this and the involvement of so many people to accomplish this effort. I’m also proud to be part of a program that offers a service that’s helpful to working parents. We want to assure parents that they will be bringing their child to a safe and loving learning environment.”        “We have had interest from all over the university to establish a childcare program. Dr. [Ray] Greenberg [MUSC president] has made this a priority, and we are piloting this new program,” said John Sanders, Children’s Hospital administrator and chairman of the MUSC Child Care Oversight Committee. “We are very pleased to be working with TodayCare. They have a proven record with organizations like ours and provide an excellent program for children. Although this program is limited, it is a step forward in evaluating different options that we can provide for our faculty and staff.”   Working with the Rev. Dow Sanderson and the Church of the Holy Communion since 2002, MUSC secured space to provide proposed child care services within their education annex. The program provides four to five large classrooms for children, a kitchen facility, restrooms, an auditorium for daily activities and playground facilities. Later phases will incorporate additional classroom facilities for infants and toddlers, according to Judy Simpson, vice president of operations and development for TodayCare Children’s Center in Nashville, Tenn.   The program will provide an academic preschool curriculum based on developmentally-appropriate standards within a learning environment. Children will learn numbers, the ABCs, shapes, etc. within a play-type setting. Classrooms are organized as learning centers where children will know discipline by using choices, guidance and talk. Children will be assessed based on their progress so teachers can plan activities to help them as they grow and develop skills necessary for kindergarten, Simpson said.       “We’re delighted to be here and offer our specialized services with this program,” said Simpson. “We’re ready to go.” MUSC Child Development Preschool Mission Statement Faithful to MUSC’s service tradition, MUSC Child Development Preschool is committed to providing a safe and secure environment that is marked by excellence. We recognize the unique educational and developmental needs of our children. We are devoted to delivering a quality program that is rich in open communication, fosters lasting relationships and provides educational stimulations.     Friday, Nov. 24, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.