An Update from The Children's Center

We are open for business! After 10 weeks of closure, The Children's Center is re-opening our doors and welcoming families and children back into our hallways and classrooms. The phrase "the new normal" did not escape our Center - we have made significant upgrades and changes to our processes. We are taking every possible precaution to keep families and children safe while still fulfilling our mission of providing high-quality early education and child care for working families across the Lowcountry.

We Are Ready!

During these past few months, the staff and Board of The Children's Center have worked diligently to develop new processes and procedures that will provide a safe, yet inviting and engaging place for children and staff. Throughout the past 10 weeks, while we've been closed, we have cleaned, sanitized, repaired, painted, and organized. We were able to retain our staff, thanks to receiving a Payroll Protection Program Award. Many of the teachers stayed engaged with their children through Facebook storytimes and Facebook Live activities. A weekly newsletter gave parents suggestions for ways to engage children in developmentally appropriate learning activities for home. Our 4K students continue through online learning, just like public school children.

On Monday, June 1st, The Children's Center welcomed back our families and opened for business. On our first day, we had about 50% of our children return to their classrooms. With the second day, our numbers increased a bit more and we expect to serve about 100 children by the week's end.

Below are just a few of the new processes we have implemented for everyone's safety.

Everyone that enters our building must first have a temperature check - staff, children, and visitors.

Visitors, parents, and staff must also wear masks.

Blankets provided to limit outside items coming into our classrooms.

Two new handwashing sinks added to the playground.

Air purifiers are being installed on our HVAC systems.

Only a limited number of children are allowed in Summer Camp.

Designated entry and exit pathways are in place to ensure social distancing.

Lots of handwashing.

Nightly virus remediation inside the building and outside on the playground equipment.

Regular staff training.

These are just a few of the new procedures we have put into place at The Children's Center. For a quick tutorial of our new procedures, check out our video explaining our "New Normal."

We are grateful to the Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber's Path Forward, the CDC, DHEC, and other partner agencies (like United Way) for helping provide valuable input in our plan. The Children's Center Board of Trustees was vital to making this opening a reality!

Never Too Late to Participate

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has participated in our Building Blocks Campaign. This program is at the core of our mission to provide affordable early education and child care to working families throughout the Lowcountry.

Donations to Building Blocks go directly to our Tuition Assistance fund that helps families supplement tuition costs based on the family income and family size. Over fifty years ago, our founders designed a program to help families afford care for their children while they were working. This remains the central focus of our mission. Our programs focus on each child’s development in social-emotional growth, gross and fine motor skills, language and literacy, as well as mathematic and cognitive advancement.

Disadvantaged families are less likely to have the economic and social resources to provide the successful early developmental stimulation every child needs as a basic opportunity for future success in school, college, career, and life. Poor health, high school dropouts, poverty, crime — we will continue to create costly economic and social burdens if it fails to provide disadvantaged families with the resources they need for effective early childhood development. Child care costs can be a deterrent to participation in the local workforce. According to an article in The State, a newspaper from Columbia SC, the cost for one year of care for an infant is comparable to paying tuition at some in-state public colleges. Our tuition assistance program eases that burden with our sliding tuition formula. Families can qualify for up to 30% off tuition costs.

It's not too late - go online today to join the other donors who understand the value of early education today, tomorrow, and for years to come!

Click here to make a difference in the lives of children in our community.