Chid Development Center of Minuteman High School to hold Open House on Thursday, Sept. 3

By Judy Bass

The Child Development Center of Minuteman High School, a preschool program for children age two to five, will hold an Open House on Thursday, September 3 from 9 am-12 pm.

Located at 20 Mill Street in Lincoln, the Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It offers a mix of innovative, educational activities in the classroom and beyond, all of which are geared toward helping the students develop their social and emotional confidence, said Teacher / Director Kelly Downing.

“We love to support the children’s needs to help them grow socially, emotionally, and cognitively,” said Ms. Downing. “We build their foundations socially and emotionally strong so they can handle any social situation with other children and grow intellectually.”

Corinne Segreve enthusiastically confirms that her son Alex’s experience as a student at the Center was fun as well as very productive for him. She enrolled him during the 2014-15 school year when he was two years old and he’s “definitely made huge progress” as a result.

“It was just unbelievable,” she said. “Alex has grown socially and educationally by leaps and bounds, and I know it’s the Center’s doing. The kids get so much attention all the time.”

The Center can accommodate 35 children. There are two full-time teachers, plus Minuteman students in the Early Education and Care program who help with the youngsters. The Center is open to children from towns in the Minuteman district and out-of-district towns as well. Registration is ongoing.

Parents can choose either the half day (7 am-12:30 pm) or full day (7 am-4:30 pm) session. They can also enroll their child for two, three, four or five days a week. The Center follows the Minuteman High School calendar regarding holidays and school closure due to inclement weather. It is open for February and April school vacations and closed on Monday holidays.

Operating under the auspices of Minuteman High School, which is in Lexington, has other advantages. The children occasionally visit the school, Ms. Downing said, for learning experiences in some of its programs. For example, in the Postgraduate Dental program, they sit in the examining chairs, don protective medical gear like gloves and glasses, and see various dental tools to understand their function. In Cosmetology, the children can have hair shampooed and conditioned, then dried and styled. They also use Minuteman’s gym and pool when possible.

Field trips to other local destinations like Drumlin Farm in Lincoln and the Discovery Museum in Acton are also taken.

The Center’s activities are changed each week to follow a monthly theme that keeps the children’s minds and creative thinking stimulated, Ms. Downing pointed out. The children have a say in what they do and learn.

The monthly themes include topics such as family, friends and pets for September; Fall, apples and farm life for October; and in November, there is a Thanksgiving lunch for all the students and their families at the Center, when a Native American family comes and shares their tribal life with everyone, teaches the children songs and conducts a hands-on activity.

“We ask the children what they would like to learn about each monthly theme and ask what they already know,” explained Ms. Downing. “They help with curriculum planning, and if one of them requests a special activity, we include it.”

Parents are kept informed of their children’s progress through conferences with the teachers twice a year. They are given an end-of-the-year portfolio with their child’s artwork along with a DVD of pictures of their child taken throughout the year.

What makes the Center particularly welcoming to the students is “the family feel of the program,” said Ms. Downing. “The families are so close with us, and the children they feel like our own children.”

Parents interested in enrolling their child at the Center are encouraged to come for a tour. Please call 781-325-1656 or write to Kelly Downing at kdowning@minuteman.org.

There will also be Open Houses every Thursday from September 3 to December 17 from 9 am to 12 pm.

Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that gives its graduates a competitive edge in the new global economy by providing them with a high-quality career and technical education, coupled with a rigorous grounding in mathematics, English, science, and social studies.

At Minuteman, students can currently major in 19 career and technical education programs at the same time they take challenging academic courses, similar to those in traditional academic high schools. Minuteman offers a wide selection of academic courses and programs.