Children’s Center celebrates 100 years

Published 4:53 pm Friday, September 13, 2013

by Carole White

Board Member of Lopez Children’s Center

Lopez Children’s Center is celebrating its 10th Birthday on Saturday, Sept. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. for cake and lemonade. If you haven’t visited our beautiful center, drop in for a tour.

A little background on our Lopez Children’s Center: The Lopez Cooperative Preschool started in a small building on the Lopez School property on Center Road in 1965. The Preschool is a two-year program for children ages three to five. That small window for preschool-age children didn’t provide care for children outside of this age range, so in 2001 a group of dedicated visionaries came together to form a Project Development Committee. The goal was to create a safe and caring early education center for Lopez Island’s children, ages two to six years, who are younger than preschool-age or need child care while parents work. Before Lopez Children’s Center became a reality, parents were left with few choices for child care. Although family child care provides a safe, nurturing environment, it may not provide opportunities for independent assessment of a child’s social/emotional/physical development that can carry over to the public school system. And a child may not have opportunities for diverse social interactions in a home environment that a formal setting can provide.

Since the Lopez Children’s Center opened its doors in September 2003, we have served over 350 children and their families in the Cooperative Preschool and the Play & Learn program, offering full- or part-time child care.

One of the major benefits of having a child attend Lopez Children’s Center are the advantages offered by the close relationship with Lopez Elementary school and Lopez Island Family Resource Center, providing wrap around services for the children and families. The Play & Learn child care program offers before- and after-kindergarten care; Lopez Island School District provides bus transportation to and from LCC. LISD Special services and Lopez Children’s Center work together to screen children for speech and developmental delays, enabling them to receive services at an early age, if necessary. LISD Special Services staff work with the children in their preschool or PAL classroom. Although Lopez Children’s Center and LIFRC are two separately funded, non-profit organizations, we work closely to support island families. Sharing a building (LIFRC rents space from Lopez Children’s Center) enables us to collaborate, to provide access to resources and assistance for families and children. The Special Friends PIP program, run by Susie Teague through LIFRC, is especially beneficial to many of the children, who take time out of their classroom to visit and play with Susie.

According to a Seattle Times’ guest column “Early Learning is a Crime Fighter” (Seattle Times, Opinion, July 17, 2013): “Not only is [early learning] one of the best ways to lower future crime, but it is also the way to address the ‘opportunity gap’ in our state and nation. Research and compelling evidence show that children who participate in quality learning programs achieve better academic results in their K-12 studies and also have practiced good habits of goal-setting, self-discipline, problem-solving, and effective collaboration with others.” The article continues, “According to a recent report by the business leaders group, America’s Edge, children with positive early-learning experiences are far more likely to graduate on time from high schools and subsequently enter the workforce with higher level skills and earn more as adults.”