CYO Mercer County

South Broad Street Pre-School

Welcome to the CYO Pre-School! We look forward to helping your child prepare for Kindergarten by showing him/her the necessary tools to explore, discover, make new friends, and become self reliant. The importance of a good preschool experience cannot be stressed enough. We now know through scientific research that three and four year old children have an enormous capacity to learn and develop. If this capacity is not stimulated during these years, children miss a critical opportunity. A quality preschool program can help children to develop reading, writing and math foundations as well as social skills that prepare them for later success in school and in life.

The Pre-School is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. For registration information, please call 609-396-8383 ext. 10, or 33.

The CYO Pre-School in Trenton became nationally accredited in 2005 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC-accredited programs have demonstrated a commitment to providing a high quality program for young children and their families. While the NAEYC accreditation process examines the total program, greatest emphasis is placed on the quality of interactions among staff and children and the developmental appropriateness of the curriculum--what really happens to the children. Health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications, physical environment, and administration are all reviewed during accreditation, but primary consideration is given to the nature of the child's experience.

CYO Pre-School Philosophy

The CYO Pre-School Strives to offer a very safe, loving and supportive environment for all of our children. Within our center, we will provide an atmosphere for developing the total child- socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually. Of course, we will keep foremost in our minds, the fact that every child is an individual and he/she will be allowed to develop at his own pace. We believe that children learn best….

· by exploring concepts through hands-on activities

· through long blocks of uninterrupted play.

We believe that "readiness" for elementary schooling is based on play. Children play with important math concepts as they set a table, counting to be certain there are as many place settings as children, or discover what happens when apples are divided evenly among eight children. Counting to twenty and recognizing numbers are also important skills, but an understanding of the concept comes through play. Children play with the concepts of reading and writing by pretending to make books, even though many of the marks they make do not yet resemble letters or collections of letters do not spell words. By dictating their own stories or messages to an adult who will write them down and read them back, children learn that their words are important and can be permanently recorded. Children play with sequence by retelling favorite stories and acting them out. Reciting the alphabet and writing letters correctly are skills adults recognize but these are only part of the process.

Pre-School Goals

To provide a safe learning environment that will:

· Help foster positive self-concept;

· Help develop social skills;

· Encourage children to think, reason, question and experiment;

· Enhance physical development;

· Encourage and demonstrate sound health, safety & nutritional practices;

· Encourage creative expression and appreciation for the arts;

· Respect cultural diversity.

· Allow outlets for the expression of each child's individual creative potential

Admission Enrollment

CYO Pre-School provides childcare for children ages 2 ½ years to 5 years. For all classrooms, families must complete enrollment applications and meet the enrollment requirements before care can begin. The applications must be signed by a parent or legal guardian of the child and all needed documents must be submitted before care can begin.

Children will be accepted into the program depending on available space. If there is no space in your child's age group you will be offered the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list. Children are accepted into the program on a first come, first served basis. We will make all reasonable accommodations to accept all eligible children.

"Abbott" Program

By ruling of the NJ Supreme Court decision "Abbott vs. Burke", 30 school districts in NJ are to offer a free Pre-School Program to eligible 3 and 4 year old children. The NJ Dept of Education - through the Trenton Board of Education and through the NJ Dept. of Human Services, pays for the cost of this program. Being an Abbott center, we are mandated by the State of New Jersey to follow through with the requirements of the Abbott Program. There can be no more than 15 children in each classroom with one certified teacher and one assistant teacher. Children who are enrolled in the 5 Trenton Board of Education contracted preschool rooms must turn 3 before September 30th. Trenton Board of Education covers free care for only the hours of 8:15 AM to 3:00 PM. Currently, NJ offers free or low cost care for the extended hours to those who qualify. The extended care cost is paid to the CYO through Child Care Connection based on attendance vouchers.

Our Non-“Abbott” Classroom

The CYO offers one non-“Abbott” classroom for 15 children. Children in this classroom may have missed the age requirement or may live outside of the city limits. For this classroom of 15 children, we offer 14 NJ state subsidized slots. These 14 “CBC” slots are based on state income and work requirements. The five remaining slots are open to anyone. We accept other Child Care Connection child care vouchers such as NJCK and WFNJ. For more information on the subsidized slots please go to NJ Dept. of Human Services. The cost for a full day (up to 10 hours), Monday through Friday is $650.00 per month.

Curriculum

The CYO Pre-School uses "The Creative Curriculum" whose philosophy is that the child's learning process is deeply involved in learning center environments such as dramatic play area, art center, science center, etc. We follow the "New Jersey Department of Education's Early Childhood Education Program Expectations: Standard of Quality" and the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards. We work to ensure that the curriculum is appropriate and relevant. The process involves setting goals, selecting materials, evaluating the attainment of objectives, gathering feedback on the above components and making necessary adjustments.

Meals & Snack

The CYO participates in the Child and Adult Care Food Program offered by the State of New Jersey. All meals and snacks will be given to all Pre-School children FREE regardless of eligibility. A nutritious breakfast will be served daily at 8:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. for all children. A nutritional lunch and an afternoon snack will also be given to each child. All children must participate in this food program. If for some medical reason a substitution must be made, a doctor's note is required for all food allergy substitutions. No substitutions will be made with out a letter stating religious or medical needs. A menu will be provided each month. Food is never withheld for punishment. We encourage children to try new nutritional foods.

In the operation of the Child and Adult Food Program, no participant will be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability and retaliation. Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against in any USDA-related activity should write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (866) 632-9992. (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (Relay Voice Users).

STAFF

All qualified individuals will go through an application process and then be interviewed by the Directors. Staff will need three (3) professional references. In addition, all staff applicants are required to have a police criminal background check/fingerprint completed and proof submitted to the center that they have no criminal record. All staff must also have a C.A.R.I. (Child Abuse Record Information) check done. Depending on the position applied for and the Center's needs, Head Teachers and Teachers must have the appropriate degree, certificates and experience in working with children in the field of Early Childhood Education. All our staff are provided with opportunities for staff development/training. Most have completed First Aid/CPR courses as well. All Staff have a CYO staff picture ID that is visible.

Assistant Teachers go through the same process as explained above and most have experience working in other childcare facilities/pre-schools. In attempting to hire the highest quality staff people, we are looking for those individuals who impress us with intangible qualities such as love of our children, dedication and a warm feeling about them.

NAEYC Ethical Code of Conduct

NAEYC recognizes that those who work with young children face many daily decisions that have moral and ethical implications. The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct offers guidelines for responsible behavior and sets forth a common basis for resolving the principal ethical dilemmas encountered in early childhood care and education. The Statement of Commitment is not part of the Code but is a personal acknowledgement of an individual’s willingness to embrace the distinctive values and moral obligations of the field of early childhood care and education. All of the staff of the CYO Pre-School have committed in writing to not only following the code of ethics, but also in their belief.

Family Workers / Family Outreach Program

The CYO Pre-School has 2 bilingual staff members whose role is to work closely with our Pre-School families. The goal for Family Workers is to establish healthy, positive relationships with parents, increase parent involvement in your child's education experience, educate parents about healthy child development, and link families with needed community services. Our Family Workers are mandated to follow through with the following: personal visits, parent (family) group meetings, health screenings, and community resources.

Our Family Workers provide support and encouragement for all of our families. One way is personal visits; getting to know our families and providing the resources if needed on a more personal basis (usually done in the privacy of your own home if possible). All of our families are expected to participate in this program.

Group Meetings

Another way we interact with our families is to have group meetings, getting our families together for lots of fun and knowledge. We have group meetings 5 times a year. These meetings may include crafts, speakers, music, video's, parent child activities, etc. Any parent willing to help or who have suggestions are always welcome. We encourage all parents to be involved.

Each of the CYO Trenton sites are required to post the results of their

lead water testing on our website

Click Here To View The results