Public School Employees' Child Development Program

Our curriculum goal is kindergarten readiness, beginning at birth and
throughout the preschool years.  Our lead teachers are trained in the
Maryland Model for School Readiness.  We use the same
assessment materials as the HCPSS in determining a child’s
readiness for kindergarten.  We use the assessment indicators and
what we know about each child in our lesson planning.  State
statistics consistently show that a higher percentage of children
enrolled in private preschool are “fully ready” for kindergarten than
those in any other pre-kindergarten experience.

The Public School Employees' Child Development Program
believes that a child’s early years play a unique and important role in
his/her total development.  Our philosophy is that learning occurs
when children are actively involved -- both physically and cognitively
-- in experiences that are developmentally appropriate.  
Developmentally appropriate practices respect the needs, interests,
and abilities of the children in all domains of development -- social,
emotional, cognitive, and physical – while considering each child’s
age, culture, and prior experiences.

Our objectives are:

•        to help children feel safe and comfortable by creating a warm
and nurturing environment;

•        to facilitate development of autonomy and a sense of initiative
by providing children with choices within a daily routine;

•        to facilitate problem-solving in young children by offering and
supporting open-ended activities that allow them to creatively
formulate their own ideas about their world;

•        to enhance positive self-feelings by providing activities with
varying levels of complexity to allow both mastery and challenge;

•        to encourage development of attention span and task
completion through a flexible schedule;

•        and to encourage interaction among children of diverse racial,
ethnic, economic and ability levels by recognizing each child's
uniqueness and importance in the classroom community.

During the day, children have opportunities for large group, small
group, and individual activities.  There is a balance between teacher-
initiated and child-initiated activities and between active and quiet
times.  Activities are also planned around the outcome of daily
observations of individual children’s needs, interests, and abilities.  
Therefore, the curriculum is responsive to each individual child’s
developmental level.  Children are encouraged to take advantage of
opportunities for decision-making, planning, problem-solving, and
responsible actions.

Use of Facilities

The Howard County Public School System leases classroom space
to the PSECDP.   It is this support that allows our program to keep
prices competitive while offering a low child/staff ratio.  It is also the
reason we follow the school system calendar.   Please be aware that
individual centers may be affected by the closing of a host school
due to water, air conditioning, heat, or other system failures beyond
our control.

High School Students

High school students enrolled in HCPSS Early Childhood
Development are earning college credit from Howard Community
College as they study child development and program planning for
early childhood instruction.  As part of their course of study, they may
observe the PSECDP staff and students, read to or play with the
children, or plan and implement part of the daily schedule of
activities.  Our staff works closely with the high school ECD teachers
in coordinating classroom visits, aligning planned activities with
PSECDP lessons and objectives, and evaluating the high school
students’ participation.

To help the students evaluate their time in our classrooms, we may
occasionally videotape students with children.  These videotapes
are used as instructional tools and are subject, as are all photos,
slides, and videos of our children, to our program policies.  The
Program Coordinator approves each evaluation “project” and
notifies the center families of its impending completion.  Although
PSECDP families are asked to sign, upon enrollment, a form
permitting videotaping, slides, and photos of the children, you may
choose not to have your child participate in these evaluation
projects.  In this case, it is important to notify the Program
Coordinator of the decision so he/she can help the teachers restrict
your child’s involvement.

Other students may work in our centers as volunteers or work/study
students.  At no time are high school students left unsupervised in a
PSECDP classroom, even if they are on payroll and therefore part of
our staffing ratio.

Cedar Lane School

Believing that children reap social, emotional, physical and cognitive
benefits from interacting with other children of all abilities, we have
forged a partnership with the administrative and teaching staff at the
Cedar Lane School to share our expertise and to jointly plan and
implement activities for all preschool students at this site.  Our daily
schedule allows for one to three hours of "together time" in activities
devoted to the learning needs of both HCPSS and PSECDP
preschool classes.  Our partnership with the Cedar Lane School
also allows our program access to related arts specialists, special
outdoor equipment, state of the art technology, and additional
program enhancements, such as field trips and special visitors.  

If a family is interested in joining the program, a deposit that is equal
to two weeks’ tuition is due to hold a child’s spot.  A number of forms
must be filled out and signed to complete the child’s enrollment.

The Maryland State Department of Education Office of Child Care
requires that the following forms be on file before your child can
attend the program:

       Completed by parent or guardian:
               1.  Emergency Authorization Card
               2.  Child History Form
               3.  Receipt of brochure, "A Parent Guide
                    to Regulated Child Care"
               4.  Health Inventory/Physical Exam - Part I
               5.  Nutrition enrollment form (MSDE)

       Completed by Child's Physician
               1.  Health Inventory/Physical Exam - Part II
               2.  Maryland Immunization Certification
               3.  Health Inventory Lead Addendum

There are several additional forms that need to be completed, in
addition to a signed contract for child care, before your child begins
care.  Receipt of these forms determines your child's start date.

The information on these records must be updated on an annual
basis.  All records are confidential and are the property of the
PSECDP.  Copies of records can be forwarded to a new school
when the Coordinator receives a request in writing from a child's
parent to do so.  Only your child’s teachers and custodial parents
and the Program administrators will have access to your child's
records.