By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor
Photo by Betsabee Torres
The Garrison Center provides peace of mind for students with children.
Children from low income families or family members with disabilities get first consideration for the daycare, which individualizes the curriculum according to each child’s needs.
Student parents don’t have to be full-time students in order for their children to go to the daycare center, but depending on the number of classes they are taking the cost of the daycare center can be reduced.
There are eight full-time faculty members, three of whom are teachers, and many other student-teachers since it is a “lab classroom” for Early Childhood Education students. This means that there are two-way mirrors where students can observe children and teachers during classes and free play.
“Teachers are being watched and observed by future teachers themselves,” said Emily Verock, Family Development Coordinator at the Garrison Center.
Teachers assess and observe each child which allows them to tailor the curriculum to strengthen their weaknesses and promote strength in their skills, according to Verock.
If fine motor skills are behind children are given the task of picking up cotton balls from a bowl with tweezers and placing them into another bowl which strengthens their connection to the fine muscles in their hands. If a child displays strength in reading by sight-reading words or names they are given reading books and games to keep them engaged.
There are three teachers and up to eighteen children per classroom and students range from two years-nine months to five years old.
The center aims to provide at least one hour of outdoor activity each day for the development of gross motor skills, said Verock, but this is weather dependent. If the weather isn’t suitable for outdoor activities, indoor obstacle courses are set up to get kids moving.
The center also has family literacy activities during “evening time”, in which an author comes in to read a story then children do crafts and activities based on the books they read.
The center provides three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack.
The Garrison Center is open from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. For a full day (5 hours or more) the cost of child care is $40; for a half day (under 5 hours) the cost is $20. The cost for a full day is a sliding scale fee which depends on family income, or families can choose to pay privately.
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