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Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children
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Featured NAEYC-Accredited Center:  

The Growing Place Child Care Centers, Kresgeville, Monroe County


Executive Director: Lisa Eick

 www.TheGrowingPlaceCenters.org

 

Center History:

The Growing Place is a non-profit organization that began in 1976 as an outreach of Salem-St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.　

 

We now have over 50 staff providing high-quality care and education at six different centers in the West End of Monroe County. We serve children eight weeks through 12 years old.

 

The vision of The Growing Place is for children and adults to celebrate daily life together.

 

The Growing Place headquarters and the site of our largest center are located in Kresgeville.　 It alone serves up to 120 preschool children per year.

 

In 1983, The Growing Place expanded to an additional site in Brodheadsville. This center provides working parent, preschool and before- and after-school care.  In 1995, the Infant and Toddler Center opened to provide care for children aged 8 weeks to 3 years in a home-like setting.  The Polk School-Age site opened in 1999, and the Pleasant Valley Elementary School-Age site followed in 2002.  Also in 2002, The Growing Place purchased the building that houses our Infant and Toddler Center.  In 2004, The Hamilton Elementary School-Age site opened in Sciota, our first in the Stroudsburg Area School District. 

 

The Growing Place continued to break new ground in 2007, when we became one of only four Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts providers in Monroe County. Pre-K Counts is a high-quality preschool program for children considered academically at-risk.

　

Our centers participate in the PA Keystone Stars program and are rated either a Star 3 or a Star 4.  Our volunteer Board of Directors is responsible for our strategic direction and overseeing a strong fiscal condition.  We are committed to advocating for and delivering the highest quality early care and education for the children of our area.

Parent involvement:

 

The Growing Place welcomes families to our centers throughout the year. Parents are an important part of our classroom celebrations, helping with food, costumes and games. Several times a year we host "Celebrity Readers" where parents and community members share a special book with the children. During Preschool Community Helpers week, parents and other visitors talk to the children about their occupation.

 

 

The Growing Place hosts many special events throughout the year for our families. In February, we celebrate the diversity of our community with an International Dinner. This potluck dinner brings together families from all six of our sites. Families share a dish that reflects their heritage or is a family favorite.

In the fall is our annual Harvest Festival, complete with fall crafts and homemade desserts. Springtime brings our Bunny Lunch, where children create special crafts and have a photo taken with the Easter Bunny.

 

 

In 2006, we created our first all-center Children’s Art Show, with creative displays from every Center and age group. The Art Show was so popular with our parents it became a semi-annual event.

 

Parents also participate in our many early childhood advocacy activities, from postcard and email campaigns to legislative visits.  

 

Accreditation:

All three of The Growing Place early care and education centers were first accredited in 2004. We successfully underwent reaccreditation in 2009.

 

Classrooms/ages & numbers:

Main Office & Kresgeville Center: Age 3 through kindergarten.

 

Brodheadsville Center: Pleasant Valley H.S, Age 3 through Grade 4.

 

Pre-K Counts: Pleasant Valley H.S., Brodheadsville, Academically at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds.

 

Infant and Toddler Center: Kresgeville, Age 8 weeks through 3.

 

Three School-Age sites at Polk Elementary, Pleasant Valley Elementary, and Hamilton Elementary Schools serve children from Kindergarten through Grade 6.

 

NAEYC involvement:

All early care and education center staff are members of NAEYC, PennAEYC and MCAEYC. One of The Growing Place Center Directors has been an active member of MCAEYC since 1998, holding several leadership positions over the years. These positions include Board member, Board officer, Committee member, and Committee chair. She is also the Affiliation Representative to PennAEYC.

 

Staff profiles:

All of The Growing Place Directors have earned the PA Director’s Credential or the equivalent. All Growing Place Group Supervisors have either a Bachelor’s or an Associate’s degree. We require all Assistant Group Supervisors to have or be actively pursuing a CDA.