Child Care

Mission Statement

We are committed to the unified purpose of providing high quality early care and education for children of DMACC students, staff and faculty while building skills and knowledge for Early Childhood Education students through hands-on education

Philosophy

We believe children learn best when:

• They are given a variety of developmentally appropriate activities in an environment that allows for child-initiated participation together with teacher encouragement;
• They are exposed to a variety of ideas and concepts with a wide array of hands-on experiences;
• They feel safe and secure;
• They receive nutritionally balanced meals and snacks and practice good health habits;
• They are guided and directed with positive, non-punitive techniques and expectations are clear, overt and age appropriate.

Licensing

DMACC Child Development Center is a non-profit program licensed by Iowa Department of Human Services. A copy of the licensing rules is available for your review.

About DMACC Child Development Center

The DMACC Child Development Center is a unique child care setting in that it is a laboratory school used for the training of early childhood education teachers. One objective of the center itself is to maintain a high level of quality, based on the latest information and research. This includes such things as a developmentally appropriate curriculum, an anti-bias approach to curriculum planning and materials, developmentally appropriate practices with regard to how children are guided and integration of services available for children and their families. DMACC Child Development Center uses continuity care to build a strong relationship and trust between the caregiver and families. With continuity care the primary caregiver your child is given in the infant room will move up with them throughout his/her time at the center.

Lab Students

DMACC Child Development Center provides a quality, nationally accredited laboratory school for the children of the faculty, staff and students working or enrolled at the Des Moines Area Community College, which means we allow lab students to work and learn in the classrooms. As a laboratory school, we, in turn, can provide a “live” learning laboratory for students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program. All lab students are qualified to work in the center by DHS requirements.

Accreditations

QRS 

DMACC Child Development Center is a five-star program, and we strive to maintain a quality rating expectation every year​. Information regarding QRS.

NAEYC ​ ​

DMACC Childcare Development Center is accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Information regarding NAEYC​.

DMACC Child Development Center shall not engage in nor allow discrimination, which is covered by law, including harassment, based on race, color, national origin, creed, religion, gender, age, or disability.

 The center will make reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if requested.  Limitation of accommodations may exist for children whose needs require extreme facility modifications beyond the capability of the facility’s resources.

DMACC Child Development Center is a CCAMPIS-funded program

The Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program, authorized by the Higher Education Act and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services.

Part of the CCAMPIS grant funding will provide scholarships to families to pay their child’s child care expenses (full- or part-time tuition) while attending classes at DMACC.

If interested please contact DMACC Child Development Center Coordinator at 515-964-6588.

• CCAMPIS at DMACC Overview

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Classroom Descriptions

The Rainbow Room: 8 Weeks-Two Years Old: The Rainbow Room provides a warm, intimate setting for our infants. We follow the PITC philosophy (Click to access information regarding PITC) in our infant room; supporting family relationships and helping babies feel safe and secure. Every infant has an assigned primary caregiver to make the child gets the comfort and attention that he/she deserves. Continuity care is where it starts in the infant room, where the teacher will build a trusting relationship between the infant and their family. Baby signs are taught in the Rainbow Room in order for the caregiver and infant to be able to communicate with one another. We also use creative curriculum to focus on routines and experiences for our older infants and toddlers.

The Apple Room - Two-Years-Old: The Apple Room is a room of discovery and developing of minds where children are interested in everything and ready to learn. At two-years-old, a child will move up to the Apple Room with his/her trusted continuity teacher. A preschool-based Creative Curriculum (Click to access information regarding Creative Curriculum) is used to help the developing two-year-old minds and enrich language from baby signs to socializing. Outdoor and large-motor play, healthy eating and habits and providing opportunities to use meaningful investigation of their world will also be influenced in this room.

The Neighborhood Room - Three, Four and Five Years Old: The Neighborhood Room encourages children to intellectually examine events and objects around them by using their investigations to suggest, plan and implement activities such as using project approach (click to access information regarding Project Approach). Preschool-based Creative Curriculum is used in this room to engage in meaningful extended conversations and discussions with peers and adults. Developing self-control, helping others solve problems, gaining confidence in overcoming obstacles, facing setbacks, and solving problems are also focuses in the Neighborhood Room.