North Carolina

Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC

LANCASTER

Day care grant aimed at child development

CHRIS MCGINN

Special to the Observer

New Beginnings Child Development Center in Lancaster is getting renovations to its infant and toddler areas thanks to help from Lancaster County First Steps.

The local organization, which helps preschool-age children, has chosen to focus many of its efforts on children age up to age 3 because of rapid brain development in that period of life, says Lora Bryson, executive director of First Steps.

Now it has a grant to target areas where those children spend much of their time.

The center is one of five countywide to receive extensive renovation to infant and toddler areas to make them more child-friendly and developmentally appropriate. The other centers -- Barnes Child Care, Colonial Child Care, Davis Childcare-Lynwood Drive and Kid Stuff will receive renovations by March.

The renovations are more than a new coat of bright paint. They involve nearly $15,000 per center worth of new furniture, structural improvements, educational toys and design planning.

Among the improvements at New Beginnings CDC are a new food preparation center, new cribs, motion-sensing faucets near the diaper area, more natural lighting and new flooring, paint and furniture.

Now, children can play on new vinyl mats, explore their world with age-appropriate toys or sleep in safe cribs with clear-view ends.

"I'm so proud of it," says Lisa Anderson, owner and director of the center.

The redesign was planned by early childhood experts Dr. Linda Hutchison and Dr. Elsbeth Brown. Their BASICSpaces concepts have been implemented in centers in seven S.C. counties.

BASICSpaces stands for Building Academic Success In Childhood Spaces. Brown says brain development research shows that more learning occurs in the first three years of life than at any other time.

"Brain development in the first three years is impressive, rapid and long-lasting," said Brown.

By creating stimulating and nurturing environments for children, child care centers can enhance learning.

"Children are living in these environments," said Brown, noting that children often spend 10 to 12 hours a day in a single room.

Brown recommends parents and child-care centers think about what they would want from a place where they ate, slept, relaxed and played for that long each day.

Also, Brown said the environments should stimulate the senses of taste, touch and sight that are how a baby learns about the world.

For example, infants spend more than 90 percent of the time looking up -- often at fluorescent lights -- during a time when their vision is developing. She recommends softer, natural lighting for infant and toddler rooms.

Another issue is loud sounds in rooms where there are lots of hard surfaces. The redesigned rooms at New Beginnings feature vinyl padded flooring that resembles hardwood floors to help absorb sound.

There should also be room for infants and toddlers to explore in a safe way to develop.

The funding is from a nearly $500,000 Early Learning Opportunities Act grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Typically First Steps money goes to training and other support programs, but this grant was specifically written to allow renovations like that at New Beginnings.

The centers were chosen based on evaluations of their infant and toddler areas and their interest in improving their centers, said Bryson.

The centers also had to agree to participate in training sessions for workers, provide parenting classes, work with nurses to improve health standards and lower caregiver to child ratios.

First Steps also has supplied a mentor to each participant.

The renovations to New Beginnings CDC have already prompted excitement. Parent volunteers have offered to paint the center's other rooms and are providing additional supplies.

Helping with the renovations are Youthbuild supervisor Danny Reed and his team of students from Communities in Schools, a program that gives older students building experience. Local businesses including Sistare Carpet, Porter Belk, McBride's Building Supply, Home Depot, Roger's Heating and Air and Russell Myers Plumbing have also contributed.

Lancaster County School District's Learn TV will be documenting the changes to all five spaces in programs modeled after The Learning Channel's popular Trading Spaces show.

What to Look For In Child Care

• Does the area appear clean, safe and comfortable for every age child?• For mobile infants, is there a safe place to crawl and explore?

• Does there seem to be enough space indoors and out so all the children can move freely and safely?

• Is there a second adult in the room/home or available if needed?

• Does there seem to be enough furniture, toys, boos and other equipment for all the children in care?

• Is the bathroom clean and accessible?

• Is the license or registration posted? Look for any deficiencies noted.

• Are there a variety of toys, books and other materials? Are they within the children's reach?

• Is there a daily schedule posted with opportunities for active and quiet play?

Comment: Making a home away from home should be the goal of every childcare facility.