The Children's House Information Pages

Frequently Asked Questions

• General Center Information
• Enrollment
• Programming
• Curriculum & Accreditation
• Tuition
• More Information

General

Where is the Center located?
The Center's address is 451 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC. The facility is brand new and incorporates state-of-the-art architectural design components. It is under the Southwest overhang of the HUD Weaver Building (adjacent to the South Lobby, on the back of the building, across from L'Enfant Plaza).

The Center is located just steps from the Blue, Orange, Yellow, and Green Lines at L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station. Parking is available for drop-off and pick-up.

When did the center open?
The Center opened in December, 2007, and is fully operational.

What types of enrollment schedules will be offered?
The center will offer full day and part-time (MWF or TTh) care for children ages 6 weeks through five years of age.

What age groups will the center serve?
6 weeks through five years of age

Who operates and manages the center?
The center is operated by Childrens' Creative Learning Centers (CCLC), a division of Knowledge Learning Corporation.

Who selected Childrens' Creative Learning Centers (CCLC)?
The Board of Directors of The Children's House used a competitive Request-for-Proposal (RFP) process to select a child care provider. Proposals were received from several local and national childcare companies. The board selected CCLC because of its approach to early childhood education and its commitment to meeting the high standards for quality childcare set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a national accreditation organization dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children. To learn more about CCLC, click here.

What measures are being taken to ensure children’s safety?
The center is guarded by Federal Protective Services and all doors are locked and controlled by key card access. The center has high-security glass windows, and the playgrounds are fenced in and removed from automobile traffic. Center management performs strict background checks for all center employees.

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Enrollment

What is priority enrollment?
Families employed by HUD will receive spaces before families employed by other federal agencies. Families employed by other federal agencies will receive spaces before community families. If there is an open space in a classroom and there is a HUD family on the waitlist, the space will be offered to the HUD family first according to priority enrollment.

How does the enrollment process work?
Please download an interest form off of the website at www.cclc.com/hud and e-mail your interest form to HUD@cclc.com or fax it to 202.708.3340. We will be in touch to let you know if there is space for your child or if you will need to be placed on the waitlist.

Do I have to pay a fee or deposit?
All registering families will pay a $65 non-refundable registration fee per child or $100 per family to guarantee their space. Families can send one personal check or cashier's note to cover the entire family's enrollment fee when mailing the completed enrollment forms to CCLC.

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Programming

What are the child-to-teacher ratios and group sizes in each classroom?
The center offers programming designed to meet NAEYC Accreditation standards. The child-to-teacher ratios are as follows:

Teacher to Child Ratio & Group Size Comparison

Age Group Age Range Ratios Group Size Infant 6wks-12mo. 1:4 8 Toddler 12mo.-24mo. 1:4 8 Twos 24mo.-30mo. 1:4 12 Pre-School 30mo.-4yrs 1:8 16 Pre-Kindergarten 4yrs-5yrs 1:10 20

What are the Center hours and holidays?
The center is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 am-6:30pm.

The Center observes all Federal holidays and observes special Federal closings (due to weather and/or Inauguration Day).

Can infants and toddlers attend the center part week?
Yes, we offer part-week care for all age groups (i.e. MWF or T TH).

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Curriculum & Accreditation

What kind of curriculum will be offered?
Early Foundations® Curriculum is a comprehensive research- and literacy-based curriculum that supports children in developing the cognitive, academic and social skills necessary for success in a complex world. The curriculum combines the cumulative knowledge and experience of our center teachers with that of our Education and Training department.

The standards-based educational objectives and framework of the Early Foundations® Curriculum program are developed by our corporate Education and Training department. Guided by the work of the National Educational Goals Panel, the framework incorporates those dimensions of school readiness that are most highly correlated with school success.

The objectives of our program are to:

• Support the development of age-appropriate physical, social, cognitive and emotional skills.
• Prepare children for success in Kindergarten and beyond.
• Support children's feelings of confidence and competence as a learner.

Our curriculum is guided by an expansive framework of educational objectives that define the skills and learning dispositions that will be practiced and mastered throughout the course of the programs. The objectives address all domains of child development and support physical, social, emotional and cognitive skills. Each developmentally-appropriate program includes thematic units that focus activities on important content appropriate to the particular age group, but with the flexibility for teachers to adapt the program to meet the specific needs of a child and also to include activities that are of particular interest to the children at the time.

The curriculum's thematic units focus classroom activities on important content in all subject matter disciplines. The lessons and activities have been intentionally chosen to provide children with not only entertaining activities, but ones that enhance children's vocabulary and experience when they apply what they have learned to different subjects. The themes are patterned, transitioning children from comfortable, familiar topics to topics that are more abstract. Teachers use the thematic units to spark children's interests in a variety of topics and to ensure children have opportunities to explore those topics.

Using the latest research on best practices in early education, our teachers employ a variety of teaching methods (large and small group work, child-directed explorations, authentic assessment) and plan activities that support the program and match children's interest and needs based on their observations of the children. Young children learn best through active involvement in their environment. Children master important learning dispositions while practicing cooperation in groups, independence in exploration and persistence in fun-filled and meaningful tasks.

What is NAEYC accreditation?
NAEYC accreditation means that an early childhood program voluntarily applied for accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The program then engages in an extensive self-study based on the Academy's Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Program. The accuracy of the program's self-study is verified during a site visit to the program by a team of trained volunteer validators.

The validated self-study, including the program director's responses to the validation visit, is reviewed by a 3-member national commission composed of recognized experts in childcare and early childhood education, judged to be in substantial compliance with the Academy's Criteria, and granted accreditation for a three-year period. The early childhood program agrees to act upon the commission's suggestions regarding areas needing improvement and to submit annual written reports documenting improvements and continued compliance. Less than 8% of all child care centers nationally have received NAEYC Accreditation. 78 CCLC centers are NAEYC accredited, and another 10 centers that are in the accreditation process. 78 CCLC centers are NAEYC accredited, and another 10 centers that are in the accreditation process.

Are meals and snacks offered and included?
We provide breakfast, lunch, and two nutritious snacks each day for children who eat table food. We ask that you provide formula or breast milk for infants and children not eating table food. Meals are served family style and teachers join the children for each meal. We rotate menus on a regular basis, and each meal is approved by the USDA. We will work with you to accommodate dietary needs. These meals are included in the tuition rates.

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Tuition

What are the tuition rates?
To see a current tuition schedule, click here.

Is tuition assistance available?
Tuition assistance is available for HUD employees with a family adjusted gross income of less than $70,000. Please see http://hudatwork.hud.gov/po/arh/eap/cctap.cfm. The Board also offers tuition assistance for HUD employees at all income levels. All HUD families may apply for assistance from the Board.

Are there any requirements for parent participation at the Center?
There is no requirement from families to participate in the program. There will be opportunities for families to volunteer through a voluntary parent committee. Families can also participate at the center during special events. CCLC has an open door policy; parents are welcome in the classroom at any time.

More Information

Who do I contact with additional questions?
Feel free to send us an e-mail at HUD@cclc.com or
call Jessica or Susan at 202-708-1935 .

 

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