Monday, Feb. 12, the new Child Care and Development Center had a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open its new location. The Child Care and Development Center has gone through many changes over the past few months with the moving of it to Downs Hall, but it has found its new home.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the director of the Child Care Center Samantha Grab opened the event by welcoming everyone in attendance and thanking all of the people who worked for the new location.
The Child Care Center provides both a preschool for the community and a field work placement for future educators. Open to the whole community, the Child Care and Development Center accepts students from multiple counties.
"This school is for all of us and our children," said Grab.
The Kean University Child Care Center embraces the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The Reggio Emilia Approach to education is an innovative approach to child care. It values the child as capable, strong and rich with wonder and knowledge. It believes that every child brings a deep curiosity of potential and this curiosity is what drives their interest to understand their world and their place in it. The approach was founded in post-World War II Italy by the citizens of Reggio Emilia, Italy.
"The teachers and I are so grateful for the amazing new facility. It will give us even more opportunities to delve deeply in curriculum and to further support the children in their learning and growth in addition to offering young children world class childhood education. Our new facility will be an even richer place for Kean students and faculty to carry out field work and research. We look forward to strengthening our connection to other departments on campus and being an even bigger part of the vigorous academic community at Kean," said Grab, director of Child Care and Development Center.
Following Grab, president of Kean University Dawood Farahi, Ph.D., gave a brief welcome to the parents and students in attendance. In his short message he said, "Looking at these faces, that's where our future is. If we can do something for them, in 15 years or so they may be Kean Cougars. If you like it here, you will like it at Kean."
After the speech from Kean University President Dawood Farahi, Ph.D., the acting dean of the College of Education, Anthony A. Pittman, Ph.D., was introduced and he delivered a speech. He thanked the parents and teachers who advocated for the new facility and wanted the very best for the youngest Cougars on campus. Pittman closed his remarks with a quote from Whitney Houston, "I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside."
The Kean University Child Care & Development Center is open from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is also an evening care program available from 4:30 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The new location is located next to the Technology Building, right off of the Cougar Walk.
