Children's Center At Caltech, Pasadena

The Children's Center at Caltech is a non-profit organization providing quality early education and care for infants, toddlers and preschool age children for Caltech, JPL and the Pasadena communities. Caring, nurturing educators staff this outstanding program. The Center has resources to support child, staff, and parenting development. The Center also provides leadership in the early childhood field for other colleges and universities. To accomplish all this, every effort is made to build and nurture relationships of mutual respect among the children, parents, and early childhood professionals. Philosophy: We wish to offer the best possible experience for your family. The philosophy of the Children's Center at Caltech has its basis in a humanistic view of the child as an independent and individual learner. The aim of the program is to respond to the needs of each child as s/he develops awareness of the world and readiness for learning. Each group provides developmentally appropriate materials and activities for children in the areas of social/emotional, intellectual and aesthetic growth and psychomotor development, while fostering a positive self-concept. Through planned activities, children are challenged to explore ideas, solve problems, and develop and expand skills, language, and concepts. Their sense of competence and self-worth is encouraged. The emphasis is on active, hands-on learning, with pre-math activities such as shape identification, shape and quantity of numbers and pre-reading activities such as alphabet bingo, dictation, and storytelling. Computer activities are offered in the older groups.