Child Development Center

The Child Development Center is Expanding!

The construction phase of App State's Child Development Center expansion is on schedule, set for completion in May 2022. Afterward, we will begin the process of setting up classrooms, hiring teachers, and enrolling children for the fall 2022 semester. The expansion will provide enrollment for an additional 54 children. There are over 145 children on our wait list and several of those are children with priority status. We follow a five-tier priority system when enrolling new students. We start with No. 1 and work our way to No. 5, then move to non-priority applicants when filling our enrollment slots. After the priority status children have been enrolled, the remaining spots will be filled beginning with the oldest active application.

For example, if we have enrollment slots open for 4 year olds, we will first fill spots with children who have priority status. Then, we will call the family with the oldest application date who has a four year old. If that family accepts the enrollment spot and also has a two year old, the two year old is now considered to have sibling priority status.

The nuance of our priority system does not allow us to create a traditional waitlist with numbered spots. It is also important to note that our enrollment system is meant to support student families first and foremost.

If you have additional questions, please email [email protected].

Child Development Center earns highest possible reaccreditation license

App State’s Child Development Center (CDC) received a Five Star Center License in its reaccreditation this spring semester from the N.C. Division of Child Development and Early Education — the highest possible and an increase from the center’s previous four-star license.

The five-star rating supports the university’s continued commitment to child care for students, faculty and staff and is “a good recognition of the passion and intentionality of our teachers and the teaching they provide our children,” CDC Director Moriah Stegall said.

Licensed child care facilities in North Carolina have ratings of one through five stars, according to the division’s website. One star means the facility meets minimum licensing requirements. A two-five star rating means the facility has voluntarily met higher program standards and staff education levels.

“The more you put into your center, the more stars you earn,” Stegall said.

The division awards points in these areas:

• Quality.
• Program standards.
• Educational standards.

App State’s CDC maintained the highest possible rating in quality (1 point), as well as its previous rating for program standards (6 out of 7 possible points). The center improved in the area of staff educational standards — from 3 out of 7 possible points to 7 out of 7 possible points.

According to Stegall, the improved rating for staff educational standards is due to the center now employing more full-time SHRA employees as well as more teachers furthering their education — either through early childhood certification or other programs.

In addition, the center has improved its curriculum and purchased new books and classroom furniture, Stegall said.

The new license’s effective date was Feb. 9, 2021. The center’s previous license was awarded in 2018.

Child Development Center closed starting Monday, March 23

Sweet families,

The Teachers and I would like to thank you for your kindness and support this week as we navigate the COVID-19 situation. Your children’s health and well being has always, and will always remain, our topmost priority. It is with conflicted hearts that the University has determined the need to temporarily close the Child Development Center beginning on Monday, March 23rd. We will continue to provide updates on our plans for reopening the Center as they are available.

We understand that this creates a hardship for you and we will miss your children immensely. During the period that we are closed, teachers will maintain communication with you and your children. We are looking into virtual meetings and resources to engage with your child(ren) and offer support to you as families. Teachers will be reaching out to you later this week via email.

The University is determining what the prorated refund will be for each family based on the remainder of March’s prepaid care. We will be in touch with you shortly regarding your refund. We have also made a request to Payroll to stop payroll deduction for the April payments for all families enrolled in that program and we are waiting on confirmation that this will occur this pay period. We will invoice families for care in April once we know the operating schedule for the Center.

In the meantime, please know this decision was given a great deal of attention and was made with your child(ren)’s best interest in mind.

We wish you well and hope you enjoy this extra time with your children.

In Gratitude,

Moriah

Check back to this page for further developments. You may also want to check the Student Affairs departmental response or the Appalachian State University Coronavirus Information website.

App State Child Development Center expands services through federal grant funding

Completing a higher education degree while parenting involves a multitude of demands that student parents must balance, including finding care for their children.

The Child Development Center (CDC) at Appalachian State University, which has provided high-quality early care and education for children of student parents since the 1980s, is expanding its services to low-income parents pursuing postsecondary education as part of its successful Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant proposal, funded by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

You may read the rest of this article at AppalachianToday.