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The Children’s Center is an inclusive early childcare and education setting. All classrooms focus on fostering growth in cognitive, language, communication, and fine and gross motor development, while also embedding activities to gain skills in daily living, emotional regulation, and sensory play. Children will learn through developmentally appropriate opportunities to explore, create, manipulate, and experiment. Progress will be monitored through daily observations and data collection to assure each child’s success.

Augusta Classrooms

The Children’s Center is licensed as a childcare facility by the Department of Health and Human Services and is an approved Child Development Services (CDS) provider. Each classroom comes equipped with developmentally appropriate materials.

Childcare hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Specialized Service hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Lupine 4 (Inclusive Classroom)

Lupine 4’s environment offers a first classroom experience for infants. Children’s schedules will be followed as they learn about the world around them. Staff will strengthen family attachments while encouraging children to interact with and trust other adults and children in the classroom. Activities foster strong, healthy bodies, inspire curiosity, enhance effective communication, and promote positive social interactions.

Lupine 3 (Inclusive Classroom)

Lupine 3 allows older twos to learn through play and to work on developmental goals set for each child on an individual basis. Goals include social skills (sharing and understanding emotions), cognitive skills (recognizing shapes, colors, and problem-solving), motor skills (running, climbing, cutting, writing), building independence, and developing self-help skills. Children learn to follow classroom rules and gain greater independence inn self-care skills and creative arts.

 

Lupine 2 (Inclusive Classroom)

Lupine 2 allows toddlers to learn and play on an individual basis. Goals are cognitive skills ( pointing to and naming objects), communication (using 2-word phrases and naming items), social skills (show interest in peers and display feelings), gaining motor skills (running, climbing, manipulating toys with hands), learning self-help skills. Daily activities that allow children to learn cause and effect, experiment with toys, music and movement, sensory play, movement, finger play, and songs embedded in daily activities.

Lupine 1 (Inclusive Classroom)

Lupine 1 prepares children ages 3 1/2 to 5 years old for the transition to kindergarten. The curriculum focuses on pre-kindergarten skills, as well as continuing work on individual goals.

 

Iris (Behavioral Support Program)

The Iris classrooms offer a highly structured curriculum and a higher teacher-to-student ratio than the preschool classrooms. This specialized program promotes increased independence, positive social skills, extended cognitive skills, increased opportunities for communication, and enhanced emotional regulation.

Daisy (Austism Program)

The Daisy classrooms are for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders who are transitioning from home to a specialized setting. Each child works with an individual specialized instructor toward obtaining their goals. This program focuses on increased independence and preparing for a less restrictive environment or transition into public school. Group and individual specialized instruction occur daily.

Daisy I

We reserve this room for 1-2 children at a time. These children have significant behaviors (self-injury/aggression towards others) that prevent them from being around other children safely. This room’s goal is to decrease these behaviors by teaching self-regulation strategies, while increasing foundational skills and slowly but systematically integrating them back into a classroom with their peers.

Daisy II

Most children in the autism program start in this room. It is considered our “baseline” program. Children in this room have been recently diagnosed and it is their first experience in a structured setting. In this classroom, we work on gaining the foundational skills necessary for development in all areas:

  1. Communication
  2. Functional Play
  3. Imitation
  4. Following basic 1-step directions and routines
  5. Self-Care Skills (toileting/handwashing/feeding/toothbrushing/dressing, etc.)

Daisy III

Once children have mastered the foundational skills in Stepping Stones II, they move onto Stepping Stones III to expand those skills: working on more complex communication, social skills, and functioning in a group. In this classroom, the instructors prepare the children for integration into a typically developing classroom before heading off to Kindergarten.

Sunflower (Special Purpose Private School)

The Children’s Center’s Special Purpose Private School provides special education to children who are not quite ready to transition to public school, as recommended by their Individualized Educational Program (IEP) team. Our Special Education Administrator and Licensed Master’s Level Clinicians oversee educational technicians within the specialized classrooms in order to meet the goals and objectives outlined in the child’s IEP. The SPPS at the Children’s Center currently provides kindergarten through third grade education.

https://www.childrensctr.org/about/special-purpose-private-school/

Farmington Classroom

The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Spruce Room

This classroom offers a highly structured curriculum and a higher teacher-to-student ratio than the preschool classrooms. This specialized program promotes increased independence, positive social skills, extended cognitive skills, increased opportunities for communication, and enhanced emotional regulation.