Child Development Center

The Child Development Center uses an emergent curriculum designed to allow children to explore their interests and learn through play.

At the Child Development Center at St. Joe’s, we are committed to smaller class sizes and lower ratios. Children who attend our center have the benefit of more one-on-one time with their teacher, resulting in a better learning experience. The center exceeds Kentucky’s state ratios and meets ratios recommended by the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), the association that sets the standard for high quality classroom teacher to child ratios. In Kentucky, for example, the typical 2-year-old classroom has one adult with ten children. We use the NAEYC ratio of 1:6. This means there are four fewer children per adult in our 2-year-old classrooms!

Childcare and Preschool for children 6 weeks through Pre-Kindergarten.

Our Philosophy: The Child Development Center program at St. Joseph Children’s Home is built on the following beliefs that are based in current research and best practices in early childhood education:

• Children are competent, capable, and full of wonder.
• Children deserve a safe, supportive environment that encourages them to use their natural sense of wonder to explore, ask questions, and construct and expand their knowledge of the world around them.
• Children need experiences that are appropriate for their particular development level that allow them to practice their current skills and abilities while being gently challenged to further develop.
• PLAY is the most powerful method in which children learn and gain meaning from their environment.,
• Children develop into strong, independent, self-confident, caring individuals when given opportunities to stimulate their growth (socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually) within the context of respectful, loving relationships with adult caregivers.
• Children deserve to be treated with respect.
• Discipline should be positive and based in love and instruction, not fear or punishment.
• Children and families deserve an environment that is open, welcoming and committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Accreditations

The center is licensed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. At least once annually, the center is inspected by the Division of Regulated Childcare’s Office of Inspector General. A written report of inspection, including any plan of correction, is available for families to review. The center is also accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and rated by the KY ALLSTARS quality improvement program. We are proud to be a 3-star center!