During an early-morning tour of the St. Charles Children's Learning Center at the College of Southern Maryland, Maryland Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene Van T. Mitchell, right, viewed the center's newest addition, a trike path that's ideal for children to ride tricycles and other wheeled toys. Auxiliary Services Executive Director Marcy Gannon, second from left, and Operations Manager Andrea Muntz, center, described to Mitchell and CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried, left, how the paved trike path provides the opportunity for the children to safely ride toys every day.LA PLATA, Md. (June 16, 2016)—The Maryland State Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene Van T. Mitchell toured and visited with students and staff at the St. Charles Children's Learning Center at the College of Southern Maryland's La Plata Campus June 2.
Operations Manager Andrea Muntz shared information on the center's history, student demographics and curriculum with Mitchell as parents arrived with their young children for daycare.
As the center celebrates its 10-year anniversary, it also celebrates earning a Maryland EXCELS Level 3 rating by the Maryland State Department of Education, part of the accreditation process. The center also celebrates its newest addition—a trike path for children to ride tricycles and maneuver other wheeled toys.
The center was established in 2006 to provide CSM students, faculty and staff, as well as community members, quality, child-centered care. The center opened with 20 students ages 8 weeks to 4 years old and now offers care for more than a hundred students from ages 8 weeks to 12 years old. The center has 10,000 square feet of learning space including nine child-centered classrooms, a gymnasium and a prep kitchen. In addition, the center has its own private landscaped playground and access to the campus grounds.
The Center's 'Before and After School Care' program includes both group and self-directed activities that take into account individual and age-appropriate interests. The center provides care options for before and after school for children ages 5 to 12 years old with bus transportation available for those attending Dr. James Craik Elementary School, Archbishop Neale School and Milton M. Somers Middle School.
Summer day camps at the center will be offered June 20 through Aug. 25 to engage, educate and entertain through hands-on activities provided in a safe, caring environment. Weekly themes help students test the boundaries of their knowledge as they discover fascinating facts, new areas of interest and lifelong friends.
For information on the center, visit http://clc.csmd.edu.