Child Development Center

At The Child Development Center, everyone is respected and valued as an individual. Our teaching staff focus on relationship building as the foundation for designing developmentally appropriate learning experiences. We recognize that children develop within the context of their family and culture; therefore, we respect families as their child’s primary educators, nurturers, and advocates.

Ages Served: 6 weeks to 5 years old

Eligibility: Children not yet enrolled in kindergarten

We Offer Mixed Age Grouping & Low Teacher to Child Ratios

• Infant/Toddler (6 Weeks to 36 Months)
  • One teacher to four children or two teachers to eight children.
• Preschool (36 Months to 60 Months)
  • One teacher to ten children or two teachers to twenty-one children.

Our high-quality early childhood education program uses a mixed-age grouping model

paired with low teacher-to-child ratios. By breaking the classrooms down into broader

age ranges rather than strict 12-month cohorts, children benefit from a family-like environment.

Developmental Benefits of Mixed-Age Groupings

• Peer-to-Peer Learning: Younger children learn by observing older peers. Older

children build empathy and reinforce their own skills by helping younger ones.

• Continuity of Care: Children stay with the same teachers for multiple years. This creates strong, stable attachments and reduces transition anxiety.
• Individualized Pacing: Growth is viewed as a continuum rather than rigid age

targets. Children can progress at their own natural developmental rate.

What This Looks Like in Practice

• The Infant/Toddler Classroom (6 Weeks to 36 Months): This group mixes

non-mobile babies with energetic mobile infants/toddlers. Teachers use open-ended materials like stacking toys and sensory bins that satisfy a baby’s fine motor

practice while challenging a toddler’s counting skills.

• The Preschool Classroom (36 Months to 60 Months): This spans ages 3 to 5.

Activities are structured so that a 3-year-old might focus on basic letter recognition,

while a 5-year-old in the same group practices writing full words.

• Maintaining Low Ratios: In a mixed-age setting, licensing laws require the staff

ratio to default to the youngest child present in the room. A low ratio ensures

that even with diverse ages, every child receives immediate, attentive care.

Applications may be picked up at the front desk between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. Applications can also be printed (in Acrobat PDF format) and returned in person, faxed, or mailed to the CDC. You will be contacted when an enrollment space becomes available. If you need to update your application, have further questions regarding enrollment, or would like to arrange a visit, please call and ask to speak with a member of the family service team.