St. Stephen Catholic Church at 2711 Mackinaw , Saginaw, MI 48602-3146 US - Welcome to the St. Stephen Child Care Center

Welcome to St. Stephen Child Care Center!  Michele Ford has been the Center Director since May of 1995.  The Center offers part time and full time care for children ages 2 weeks - 5 years with programs that are either at or below state teacher-to-child ratio requirements.  Children are divided by age groups:  Infant (2 weeks-15 months with a 1:3 ratio), Toddler (15 months-2 years with a 1:4 ratio), Tot (2-3 years with a 1:4 ratio), Tot II (3 years of age with a 1:8 ratio), Friends (3 1/2-4 years with a 1:10 ratio) and Pre-K/Young 5s (4-5 years with a 1:12 ratio).  In addition, the Center offers an After School program for children ages 5-12.

The Center hours are 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m Monday - Friday.  The Center quickly becomes bustling with activity shortly after opening each morning.  The morning hours are filled with teacher selected engaging activities as well as many free-play choices for the children.  There are several learning centers in each room including a math area, science area, reading/quiet area, housekeeping/dress-up, writing center and art area.  Morning group time is utilized to focus on learning letters, numbers, colors, as well as learning new songs and fingerplays!  Staff members encourage learning through play throughout the entire day as well as help to teach the children how to share, take turns and other important social skills.  The Center has a fenced-in playground area for all of the age groups to expend some of their energy!  The children are outside twice daily to stretch and strengthen their muscles and to enjoy the benefits of the fresh air!

The Center also has a full-day summer program for all ages!  With fun, themed weeks and special days such as "backwards day", "hat day", "water day" and "watermelon day", the children are kept entertained all summer long!  Bus field trips are arranged for children age 3 and up!  Some of the previous destinations for the younger groups have included area parks and petting farms, hands-on museums and indoor play lands!  School age groups have gone to the Capital Building in Lansing, Huckleberry Railroad and Hartley Nature Center!

A team approach is taken for Center operations.  There is a Parent Advisory Committee made up of parents from the Center that assist the Director in decision-making regarding policies and budgeting as well as help to plan community building events within the Center.  All families are kept informed about goings-on in the Center with monthly newsletters and emails.

An extremely positive aspect of the Center is its veteran 22-member staff.  The Lead and Assistand Lead teachers average 12 years of experience!  Even the part-time staff averages 6 years of service to the Center!  Staff members are certified in CPR on a yearly basis and in First Aid every 3 years.  In addition, in order to maintain employment, each staff member is required to receive 12 hours of child development training on an annual basis.  By working together as a team, the Center achieved the goal of National Accreditation in 2005!  The Center was able to meet the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) standards of quality.  The standards are very high and, while the Center was already considered as high quality, going through this process has made it even better!  Due to the cost of Accreditation, the Center was unable to renew the status in 2008; however, the high standards continue to be upheld!

As an alternative to National Accreditation, the Center opted to pursue "Quality Designation" from the Great Start Collaborative of Saginaw County:  Child Care Initiative program.  The Center staff went through a series of trainings over a two-year period and then was evaluated by professionals in the field using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS).  The Center received the designation in 2006 and was renewed in 2008.  The Center will continue to be reviewed and evaluated every two years to maintain the quality designation.  In fact, currently, St. Stephen Child Care Center is mentoring other centers in the Saginaw area, helping them work towards achieving the same goals that St. Stephen has met!  In addition, St. Stephen Child Care Center was named the #1 Best of the Best in 2006 and #2 in both 2007 and 2008 in the Saginaw News survey!  Caring, loving individuals who are dedicated to providing the very best childcare possible nurture the children and help them to reach their full potential!

Enrollment is open to all parents, regardless of whether or not they are members of the parish.  Rates are competitive with other quality centers in the tri-city area.  The Center is currently accepting Full-Time (5 days per week) and Part-Time (minimum of 3 days per week) enrollment!  Please contact Michele at (989)799-0166 or ststephencdc@sbcglobal.net for more information.   

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