Registration for Part-Time Preschool Care Opens Jan. 23

Registration for the fall 2017 part-time preschool program at College of DuPage's Early Childhood Center (ECC) will open on Jan. 23. The ECC also offers a full-time childcare program. Registration for childcare classes remains open throughout the year.

Featuring programs designed to meet and enhance the developmental needs of children age 15 months to five years, as well as the scheduling needs of parents, the Early Childhood Center offers full-time classes and childcare from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for toddlers through preschool-aged children, and part-time classes for 3- and 4-year-old children.

Licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the program's classes are taught by lead teachers with a minimum of a bachelor's degree and teachers with a minimum of an associate degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Care and Development.

"Our teachers are credentialed above and beyond the standards set by the state of Illinois," said Continuing Education Program Coordinator Melissa Fanella. "We also have a very low, nearly nonexistent turnover of faculty and staff, which is very unusual in the childcare field."

The facilities for the childcare program are housed in the Louise M. Beem Early Childhood Center that features an interior corridor "street," which widens to become a flexible indoor activity area. The indoor street is naturally lit from above with skylights and provides a protected play area for large motor skill development during inclement weather. All of the classrooms have direct access to the outdoor play areas with covered porches for sheltered activities. Through guided play, children learn knowledge, skills and attitudes that will support their development. The curriculum includes music, science, art, math, literacy, cooking, large and small muscle activities, games, outdoor play and campus field trips to a variety of locations and learning events, including MAC events, COD Cares events, COD Police/HEC, Library and the Dental Hygiene clinic.

Registration for the Center's full-time programs is open throughout the year.

For more information on the Early Childhood Center programs at College of DuPage, visit cod.edu/academics/conted/childcare, email cetera@cod.edu or call (630) 942-4223.

The Early Childhood Center also houses the College's Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) academic program. The ECEC program offers a combination of classroom instruction and supervised, hands-on experience that prepares students for direct entry into the field in positions such as child care director, assistant director, preschool teacher, child care teacher, infant-toddler caregiver, Head Start teacher, elementary or special education aide, and before or after school teacher.

For more information about the ECEC program, please visit cod.edu/programs/ecec.