WELCOME TO THE BINGHAMTON JCC

Welcome to the JCC’s Early Childhood Center (ECC). We are delighted that you are considering enrolling your child in one of our highly regarded programs. We have been teaching, nurturing, and guiding children for more than 66 years, and have developed an outstanding reputation in the community for our early childhood education programs.

The ECC provides care and education for over 300 children aged 6 weeks to 12 years in it’s Full Day, Half day, Universal Pre-kindergarten and afterschool programs. Universal Pre-kindergarten (UPK), is a tuition-free preschool program offered through the Vestal and Binghamton School Districts. Our parents have the peace of mind that their children are in a caring, supportive and safe environment that meets children’s emotional, physical, cognitive and developmental needs. Since the ECC is part of a community center, we are able to incorporate the use of a gymnasium, indoor pool, and an outdoor sports complex, allowing us to further enhance large motor development, introducing physical fitness and instilling a healthy life style at an impressionable age. As a United Way agency we take a lot of pride in our ability to offer our programs to all families, regardless of their ability to pay.

The JCC Early Childhood Center is a busy, happy and creative place for your child to play and learn. Parents and teachers together form a partnership which enables your child to develop positive self-esteem, new skills and a life long love of learning. The JCC Early Childhood Center offers a broad range of programs for children 6 weeks to 5 years of age. On site swim, gym, hot lunch program and a variety of a wide outdoor play in our new playground are unique features offered in the ECC.

Since 1938 the JCC has worked hard to provide area families with high quality, affordable early childhood programming. What began as a small program called “Center Land” on Front Street in Binghamton has grown and continued to be at the hub of child care and Early Childhood programming in Broome County for over 66 years. Our success is visible in the proactive way we have and continue to, respond to the needs of local families. We have successfully expanded to include:

Licensed full day care in 1992
A fully licensed school age child care program in 1994
Infant care in 1998
Universal Pre-kindergarten for the Vestal School District in 2000
A brand new facility which allowed us to expand our program in 2004

The ECC charges tuition based on a sliding fee scale, ensuring families on a limited income, who are not eligible for government support, can participate in a quality Early Childhood program.

The Victor and Esther Rozen Infant Rooms (Ages 6 weeks to 18 months)
Three infant rooms provide loving care for infants 6 weeks to 18 months. Currently we split our youngest students into two groups with the youngest infants in one of two groups and the older more mobile infants in a “pre-toddler” room. Our infants begin exploring the world both indoors and out, have opportunities to build large and fine motor skills and love listening to music, stories and the sound of each other’s voices. Mothers are welcome to breast feed on site.

Dr. I.J. Rosefsky Day Care Center Full Day Program (Ages 18 months to 4/5 years)
Our Toddlers, ages 18 months to 3 years have a staff of 8 teachers to help them blossom. Through the nurturing and guidance our Toddlers increase their self help skills, learn to share, form friendships, start to swim and explore the world through paint, play and discovery.

At age 3 our children move into preschool classrooms and continue to flourish and grow. The Preschool teachers bring science and math to life in the classroom with tadpoles, butterflies, fish, worms, blocks and sensory tables. The children continue on their journey gaining many new skills, going on field trips, participating in physical education classes with John Cappello, the JCC’s Phys. Ed Director, make new friends and take on new challenges like sounding out words, writing their names and exploring the world of reading. Pre-School parents can choose a “continuity of care” classroom for children ages 3 to graduation, or can choose separate classrooms for ages 3 and 4 (5) year old.

Half-Day Program (Ages 2 – 5 years)
The ECC also offers families a comprehensive half day program for children ages 2 to 5 which follows the public school calendar. The children who attend the half-day program grow and learn under the guidance of our professional staff. This program is designed to build socialization skills and set young children on a life long journey of learning. Program includes swimming and PE programming. Children are enrolled in a classroom based on their age December 1st of the school year.

Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK)
Universal Pre-kindergarten (UPK), is a tuition-free preschool program offered through the Vestal and Binghamton School Districts, and is in its ninth year here at the JCC. Any resident can also join the ECC’s UPK program as self-paying clients.

UPK offers a morning and afternoon session with a curriculum strong in language and literacy. Families interested in the UPK program should contact the Vestal School District.

Extended Day Care
1:00-3:30 pm
Children enrolled in our 3 year old and 4 year old half day programs are eligible for this child care program. It will be offered Monday-Friday, 1:00-3:30 pm. You may contract for specific days the whole school year, or you may use it on a extended day care basis for which we request 24 hour notice. This child care program follows the school calendar, September-June. The fee is $4.50/hour on a drop-in basis or $4.00/hour when contracted. For more information contact the ECC office.

Our Wonderful Facility
Because the ECC has the good fortune to be located within the Jewish Community Center it has many unique features to offer its students, their families and of course our teachers.

Few centers locally can provide the comprehensive programming available at the Jewish Community Center. We take full advantage of our beautiful facility and utilize the full facility in our planning.

We are able to offer our children a pool, a gym, an auditorium with a fully functional stage, a tumble room and an outdoor sports complex that includes tennis, basketball, soccer and a state of the art playground.

The outdoor basketball court is a great place to ride or tricycle and other riding toys. Our hill and upper field is a great place to take a walk, observe nature, collect leaves and have a picnic. The upper field now has a permanent fire pit which allows for camp fires, roasting marshmallows, even hot dogs for a special lunch experience. The hill in the back of the ECC is great for sleigh rides, water slides or rolling down hill. We have grown gardens in back, on the side and in front of the building. We are also fortunate to have a large pavilion on site, great for a shaded outdoor area, also good for tricycle rides and picnics and taking the classroom outdoors.

The ECC has also developed a nice library with a good supply of children’s books. Remember to utilize them in your planning and rotate your classroom books on a regular basis.

Thanks to the JCC kitchen we are able to do cooking activities with our children.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER WEEKLY FEES
FULL DAY
INFANT (6wks – 18mos)...........................................$184

TODDLER (18mos – 2 yrs)......................................$177

9-11:45am                  9-12:45pm (with lunch)
M-F $69                     $92
MWF $50                     $65
TTH $38                    $50

*Nonmembers pay an additional $18/child weekly fee.
**Fees are subject to change.   Please call Marlene Schwartz Patrick, the ECC Director at (607) 724-2417 ext . 414 for current rates and application.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Financial Assistance is available for eligible families. The ECC charges tuition based on a sliding fee scale, ensuring families on a limited income can participate in a quality early childhood program. Applicants who may be eligible for DSS assistance will be required to apply for DSS support prior to receiving any financial assistance from the JCC.

The JCC is committed to creating the finest early childhood experience for your child. This is intended to begin an exciting, positive education that will set the social and developmental pattern of a happy, well-adjusted person for a rich and fulfilling lifetime.

PHILOSOPHY
The goals of our Early Childhood Center (ECC) are to develop positive self-esteem, new skills, and a love of learning in our children. We emphasize creativity and the idea that the process is more important than the product. Children are encouraged to develop at their own pace and our activities and lesson plans are based on Developmentally Appropriate Practices as supported by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We see it as our task to provide a safe and nurturing environment in which these goals can be realized.

MISSION
At the ECC, we believe in developing the whole child. We take the time to recognize and nurture the physical, emotional, social, linguistic and cognitive skills of each individual child.

We believe that children learn best through hands-on experience in an atmosphere that is safe, loving and stimulating. Our educational, cultural, and recreational activities are designed to help children develop self-confidence, self-reliance, social responsibility and joy in learning. The ECC provides a warm and caring environment where children explore, experiment, play, grow, and learn to ask questions.

We believe in parents as partners in a child’s education. Parents make a big difference in the quality and success of a child’s time at the ECC. Parents are not only asked, but strongly encouraged, to play an active role at the ECC.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
The ECC is dedicated to providing a safe, loving, healthy learning environment that is developmentally appropriate and allows for learning in a meaningful context.

Faculty
The teachers are at the center of the Early Childhood Center. They combine specific talents for working with young children with knowledge of child development theory and practical experience. Early childhood teachers draw upon their knowledge of child development, years of experience teaching, and their understanding of each unique child as a student to make a curriculum that is responsive to each child to help him or her grow and develop into a loving, confident, responsible person with a love for learning. Our teachers are professionals and we encourage them to sharpen their skills, expand their knowledge, and keep up to date with new developments in the early childhood field by taking classes, participating in workshops, and attending both local and regional conferences.

Activities
Activities in the ECC fall into two categories: teacher-initiated activities and child-initiated activities. Throughout the year, the teachers plan activities that spark the children's imagination, awaken notice of the world, and develop new skills. These activities include art, music, stories, whole language, math, science, dramatic play, large and fine motor activities, and block building.

Each day there is specific time for “free play” so children can pursue their own interests and ideas. This time is important because young children are actively involved in developing their self-image, decision making and building a strong sense of identity. It is important that they are given time to make decisions and choose to work on projects in the classroom. It is during this time that children practice skills introduced during teacher-initiated activities. The children also use their time to develop social and communication skills. Though this time is called “free’ choice time or “free” play, it is very important to remember that the teachers have set up the classroom with specific toys, games, activities, and interest centers and that the children are interacting with a very specific environment that was designed with your child's interests and needs in mind.

Schedule
Teachers plan a schedule that varies the pace of the day based on the needs of children. The day is scheduled to support the children’s physiological needs for activity, sensory stimulation, fresh air, rest and nourishment. The program provides a balance of rest and active movement for children throughout the program day. Each classroom’s day is organized and an orderly routine provides an overall structure in which learning takes place; the environment is dynamic and changing but the schedule is predictable.

Throughout the day there will be both teacher initiated and child initiated activity. Teacher initiated activities could take the form of a science experiment, an art activity, a music project, a story book or other theme based projects.

Time is always allotted for large motor development. Teachers approach physical education through creative activities as well as giving the children time to run, climb, and play in the fresh air on our well equipped playground and large grassy play areas. Also the gym is used for large motor activities, including creative movement, dance, sports and games. In addition children in our 3 and 4-year-old full-day and half-day programs have one formal gym class per week taught by the ECC’s physical education staff.

Snack and lunch time are important educational part of our program. The teachers make specific preparations so that the children use this time to learn about cleanliness, nutrition, manners and food preparation. Children are responsible for helping prepare the table and clean up afterwards. They learn self-help skills such as pouring juice and spreading peanut butter on crackers. We eat family style allowing children to further develop their group and social skills.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, would like a tour, or need any additional information: