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from the when-I-get-older dept. The grand opening of the Jan Peterson Child Day Care Center (CDC) – a state-of-the-art master teaching and learning center that offers highly specialized programs for healthy, mildly ill, and special needs children ages 2 months to 12 years – marks the beginning of the realization of a unique vision for a multigenerational approach to caring for children and the elderly. The Child Day Care Center is part of the larger Integrated Care Communities (ICC) campus, a nine-acre development on the grounds of Riverside County Regional Medical Center. When completed, ICC will include the current Assisted Living Residences, the new Jan Peterson Child Day Care Center, and future Skilled Nursing facilities, plus an Adult Day Health Care Center and Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. ICC founder and director Dr. Carl Rowe says the multigenerational aspect of the Community is just one of the reasons he feels the Center will be a national model. “Elderly volunteers from the existing Assisted Living Residences and planned Adult Day Heath Care Center will be given the opportunity to interact with the children. The Assisted Living residences overlook the Center, so the older guests can see and hear children playing,” says Dr. Rowe. “The Federal government has commissioned extensive studies showing the beneficial relationship these two groups have on each ] other.” “The concept for this facility has been in the planning stages for over ten years,” says Jan Peterson, an early childhood specialist and former chairman of the Riverside Children and Families Commission, for whom the Center was named. “This is the realization of a longtime dream for many of us who have worked to develop child care and to serve the multiple needs of children and families in Riverside County.” Peterson, whose longtime dedication to meeting child care needs in Riverside County has raised the standard of care given countywide, emphasizes the county’s intent in co-locating the Center with an elderly care facility. “We wanted this facility to be a model others – in the county and across the nation – could replicate,” she says. “There are no anticipated needs of young children that cannot be served in this facility. We will coordinate services with Riverside Community College as well as with the county’s regional medical facilities.” “Our program is based on a developmentally appropriate learning philosophy in which learning is achieved through play and discovery,” says Pat Buzas, director of the Day Care Center. “Play is the way children learn best. Through play, each child has the opportunity to explore, create, and develop problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. We provide a safe and happy environment where children feel loved and wanted.” The Center’s staff, says Buzas, is “the heart and soul of our philosophy. To ensure the highest level of care, we employ and retain the best in the field.” All of the Center’s educators are CPR and first-aid qualified and dedicated to creating healthy experiential opportunities for children to learn. “The individual needs of every child will be assessed and addressed,” Buzas promises. Parent involvement is welcome – and encouraged, says Buzas. “We recognize that parents are the most important adults in a child’s life and work hand in hand with parents to provide them with support and resources,” she says. “We look forward to their involvement.” The new Center is the only child care facility in Moreno Valley equipped to care for healthy, mildly ill, chronically ill, and special needs children. The Center features 8 separate, age-appropriate classrooms, including a special TLC room for mildly ill children. An on-site nurse and a full staff nurture children to help them get well quickly. In the classrooms, children will learn to make choices, discover original ways to realize goals, cultivate academic and social skills, and explore their own creativity. Structured learning time and free playtime are balanced, as appropriate to the age and ability of each child. Class size at the Center is small to ensure optimal care. Infants – ages 2 months to 2 years – are in groups of 6 children, with a staff/child ratio of 1 to 4. Toddlers ages 2-3 are in groups of 12-14; staff/child ratio is 1 to 6. Preschoolers are divided into 3-4-year-olds and 4-5-year olds. Each group is limited to 16-18 children; staff/child ratio is 1 to 12. Kindergarten classes are limited to 12 students and are taught by a full-time credentialed teacher. The Center can accommodate children up to 12 years old. Extended hours of operation – 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. – and flexible price plans that can include GAIN CALWORKS and RCOE subsidies make the Center accessible to all parents. For more information on the Integrated Care Communities’ multigenerational health care camWebSitepus, call (909) 243-3837 or visit the ICC < | >
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The "Very Young" and "Very Old"Together Can They Help Each Other?
