The Bakersfield College Child Development Center Program Manager, Danell Ward, has expressed her gratitude for all of the support that BC students, staff and the public have given the center.
“It is not easy keeping the center stocked with supplies such as, paints, paper, crayons, art supplies, etc.,” said Ward. “These supplies are so important because children learn hands on. For them, doing is learning, and the center needs to keep the children supplied with plenty of learning materials.”
Because of everyone’s support, the center has raised some much-needed funds for the center. They raised $4,600 at Garden Fest raffling off gift baskets, $304 through discount coupons from Cruz Thru car washes, and $121 with the S.H.A.R.E. cards that are used at specific grocery store chains. They also sold over $1400 worth of books at their last scholastic book fair.
Ward is also grateful to professor Gayla Anderson and her students for planting gardens, covering the fences in bamboo, and supplying and putting up shade covers over the playgrounds for the children at the center.
These gardens have helped the teachers to find a way to teach the children about the drought. The children love to take their mist bottles and water the new plants without wasting water by turning on the hoses.
Ward would like to see more departments get involved in the child development center.
“Other departments at the college could really offer these young children some great hands-on learning experiences,” she said. “The Agriculture and Horticulture departments could plant a garden for the children to take care of, or the Technology Department could help the children and teachers start an online picture blog to show to their parents.”
The month of April has been a special month for the children at the center. First, Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan and his service dog, Tuesday, visited the children, and then the center celebrated NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child April 13-17. On that week, Monday was Music Monday with Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, they made tacos with their families on Taco Tuesday, children built things together on Work Together Wednesday, they created art all day on Artsy Thursday and on Family Friday, families came together to share their family stories.
The Child Development Center has openings for the summer program for 2-5-year-olds. They have openings in the state-need program and in the sliding scale for BC students program. People interested in putting a child in the summer program need to get a hold of the center before May 15. The summer program starts on June 1, and the hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 4:15 pm.