As 3-year-old David and 2-year-old Jared play in the sand, their mother, Terri Boss, is free to attend Bakersfield College as a full time-student.
Boss is a nursing major and has been attending BC since last summer. She is only one of a number of students benefiting from the campus Child Development Center. At the age of 2, her son, David, had tubes placed in his ears to help prevent frequent earaches. This process affected his speech.
“David got tubes in his ears when he was 2, so he didn’t talk very well and being around the other kids has helped him pronounce things better,” said Boss. “It is easier to understand him now than it was before.”
The Child Development Center offers free child care services to students who are income eligible and who are also taking a minimum of nine units. Other parents who do not meet the income requirements or are not attending school full time can also leave their children for a varying fee. The center, open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., also offers extended hours for students who have early or late classes.
The state requires a certain adult-to-child ratio for all day care centers, which BC meets, according to Maryann Albanes, program director. For infants, centers should have one adult per three children; toddlers, one adult per four; and preschoolers, one adult per eight kids.
The center offers a safe, fun and educational atmosphere for children. Activities available for the children include music, stories, arts, crafts and computer games, and they are taught important lessons in sharing, making choices and, for the youngest, potty training.
“It is an educational program as well,” said Albanes. “The term now is early care in education. We really emphasize that. Many times, there is the impression or the label that we are baby-sitting, but learning is an ongoing process and children are always active learners and we provide an appropriate environment that responds to those learning and developmental needs.”
Learning how to effectively make choices is a lesson BC teaches the children each day. According to Albanes, whenever children have conflicts with other children, a teacher or their personal emotions, the instructors help them work it out on their own. Whether it is a struggle over sharing a toy or the pain of missing a parent, each difficulty is individually worked through.
“We try to be respectful of the child’s feelings. We try to help them control the skills to control their own behavior,” said Albanes. “That’s our objective, to help them develop their own inner controls.”
The Child Development Center not only helps the children and their parents, but it provides opportunity for students pursuing a career in child development with firsthand observation.
“The center is also a teaching laboratory for those preparing to go into the field of education,” said Albanes. “Up here, we have observational areas to observe the students.”
David Lock is a BC graduate. His daughter, Lauryn, 4, has spent the last three years at the center. Since he is no longer a student, Lock must pay for his daughter’s stay, but he said he is happy to do so.
“She loves (the day care center),” said Lock. “It is definitely good here. It keeps them occupied, keeps them learning.”
The teachers and interns at the center comfort the tears, promote the smiles and teach valuable lessons to each child.
“We want to be a partnership with our parents to work with each child. We guide behavior so they have as many experiences as possible that will cause them to be able to function in society,” said Site Supervisor Lenora Daniels.