Military CDC ( Child Development Center ) 2 of 3

 The Child Development Center that I observed is a very good example of a welcoming environment for both children and their families, which is very good as the center I observed serves the families of our nations military families. These families are at a higher risk than most because of a number of constant daily stresses such as extended work days, 6 or 7 day work weeks often, little sleep because of anxiety keeping you up worrying about everything etc...as well as a number of other less frequent stresses, such as an upcoming deployment or training trip. These are on top of the multitude of everyday stresses they face anyway just as everyone else does, the rent/mortgage, the utilities, cheer leading practice, children with special needs, etc...

 So it is a very good thing that this Child Development Center is welcoming to the whole family, as these families need a lot of extra support. This CDC is a place where families know that their children will be well cared for and their growth nurtured. The environments in this CDC are all age and development appropriate with variety of materials around the classrooms, both natural and synthetic, every child has a cubby with their name and picture on it as well as a chair with the same, the room is set up to make movement through the room easy and comfortable, everything that is for the children to use freely is readily available. The teachers themselves strive to be warm and nurturing, supporting and directing children's overall development in a manner that is age appropriate and gives them the stepping stones for further development and builds on what they already bring from their individual home environments. This CDC also has a number of family events every year and field trips, examples would be a special lunch or activity day that families are invited to, or a trip to the pumpkin patch, these family involvement practices help parents to feel more connected and less stressed, because they get to experience and observe the support and care their children receive everyday, the teacher's also keep parents up to date on the classroom and community activities through monthly newsletters, and they also have copies of magazines that focus on connecting them with local activities and events in the surrounding areas.