Who We Are
The Children’s Campus at RVCC is a child and professional development center. It was established in 1975 to provide quality care to young children. Today the program continues to fulfill this mission by providing care for children three months through pre-kindergarten in developmentally appropriate settings. The center is open from 7:30am till 5:30pm, Monday through Friday, twelve months a year.
Where We Are
The Children’s Campus is located off Parking Lot #4 on the RVCC campus, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg. The specially designed building includes four classrooms, a kitchen, teachers’ workroom and administrative office. There are two enclosed playgrounds attached to the facility. As part of the larger college community, the children are able to take walking trips on campus, as well as field trips to the Planetarium and the Theatre.
Our Children
Enrollment is open to children of RVCC students, faculty and staff. Children from surrounding communities are accepted when space is available. Part or full time enrollment is accepted on a monthly basis. Occasional drop-in care is available as space permits to regularly enrolled children.
Children are assigned to the following age-appropriate classes: (Adult to child ratio is state mandated)
- INFANT Room:: 1 adult to 4 children (age 3 to 12 months)
- TODDLERS, ONEs & TWO's Room:: 1 adult to 4 children
- TODDLERS, TWOs & THREEs Room:: 1 adult to 6-8 children
- PRESCHOOL Room:: 1 adult to 11 - 12 children (age three to five years)
Our Mission
The Children’s Campus at Raritan Valley Community College is committed to the mission of providing loving and developmentally appropriate childcare for children of RVCC staff, faculty and students, as well as children from the surrounding community when there is room. We encourage friendship building, community involvement, and excitement for learning. We give high priority to head staff continuity and assistant staff training.
The Children’s Campus is proud of its supervision and service-learning commitment for teaching assistants, student teachers and service learners. We have good working relationships with community and state agencies, and we participate actively in supporting the development of high quality childcare in New Jersey. We welcome children who speak different home languages, celebrate different traditions, and have diverse abilities. We provide an accepting, diverse environment for all children of varying culture, ethnicity, gender, and family composition.
Our Vision
The Children’s Campus is committed to preparing children who:
- Think effectively and creatively
- Develop a sense of responsibility to self and others
- Use appropriate problem-solving techniques
- Actively participate in learning and construction of knowledge
The Children’s Campus is committed to preparing educators of young children who:
- Stimulate and challenge every child
- Understand child development and facilitate children’s play
- Address each child’s interests, abilities and strengths
- Engage in education and training to better inform their practices
Our Philosophy
The program and teaching at The Children’s Campus at RVCC are based on developmentally appropriate and research-based practices. Our approach is aligned with the guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for developmentally appropriate practice. Because children learn best through play and hands-on manipulation, we encourage children to explore new materials and relationships in a safe, secure environment.
Parents select The Children’s Campus at RVCC to meet their childcare needs for many reasons. Some parents need childcare while they attend class or work. Some parents want to prepare their children for kindergarten; others want to provide social experiences. Regardless of the reason, the safety and well-being of each child is paramount. The program is designed for more than just childcare. It is designed to foster learning. It recognizes the many needs of young children and their unique perspective of the world. It is our commitment to provide an environment that provides both the stimulation and structure to foster developmentally appropriate learning for young children from infancy to preschool years.
The program and the curriculum focus on the whole child and are designed to meet the diverse social, physical, emotional and cognitive needs of individual children, as well as to promote curiosity, persistence, creativity and initiative as approaches to learning. Additionally, we foster a sense of self-respect, concern for others, independence and environmental awareness.
The Children’s Campus at RVCC follows The Creative Curriculum™, a nationally and state-recognized curriculum for young children. Screen time, worksheets, and repetition have a very limited role in our classrooms. Rather, hands-on exploration and multisensory activities that encourage the development of concepts and knowledge of how the world works are offered within broad themes and studies. Within the learning domains of social/emotional, cognitive, language and physical/motor skills, choices within learning centers are planned so that children take charge of their own learning at their own pace. Schedules and routines are consistent each day in order to provide security and confidence, so that the children feel free to explore and interact with the children and teachers in their classrooms. Teacher observations and documentation of individual development are used to adjust the program to better challenge the individual development, as well as to conference with parents to support each child.
We value and respect the primary role of the family in each child’s development; and we nurture and build connections between home and The Children’s Campus. We also view each child as an individual, unique in development, learning style, personality, and talent.The Children’s Campus is designed for learning, structured for safety, and reflective of young children’s needs. It is a place where smiles come easily, praise is sincere and caring is constant.
“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.” ~Chinese proverb
