About the Child Development Center
The Child Development Center, located on Reading Hospital’s West Reading campus, is divided into three schools — Forest, Ocean, and Desert. Each school has six classrooms decorated according to its natural theme, and accommodates children from infants through pre-schoolers. This approach enables your child to progress with his or her same classmates, and develop a sense of community with the children of other ages and the teachers in that school.
Enrollment
• Children eight weeks through entry in first grade
• Parents of our young students may have an affiliation with Reading Health System. However, this is no longer a requirement
Hours of Operation
• Weekdays, from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
• Closed New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
Location
• On Reading Hospital’s West Reading campus Program Offerings
• Full-time and part-time enrollment
• Newborn care
• Age-specific curriculum, with daily art, music, story time, pre-reading and pre-math activities, and outdoor time
• Drop-in care
Faculty
• 42 teachers who average more than 16 years of teaching or related experience
• All faculty were chosen for their knowledge, warmth, friendly demeanor, and special ability to care for children
• Individual meetings arranged in advance of or any time during your child’s enrollment
Special Features
• Age-appropriate outdoor playgrounds
• Extensive library for children and resource room for parents
• Regular parent-teacher conferences on your child’s progress
• Periodic workshops on childhood development
• Planned visits to the local police and fire stations, museum, parks, and special events at the Hospital
• Special activities, including a Halloween parade, winter holiday program, and chorus performances
Our goal – to provide the best possible care for your child! Our educational programs will help your child develop:
• Cognitive Skills – through dramatic play, story-telling, memory games, problem-solving tasks, language experiences
• Social Skills – through cooperation, social awareness, relating to peers and adults, expressing and controlling emotions, developing self-concept
• Gross Motor Skills – through vigorous outdoor play, dance, body movement
• Fine Motor Skills – through bead-stringing, cutting, pasting, drawing, painting, finger plays
• Hygiene and Self-Help Skills – through maintaining daily routines, handwashing, toileting, buttoning and zipping, practicing good manners
Full-time, part-time, and per diem positions available.
High School or GED is required. An Associate Degree in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, or the Human Services field is preferred. At least 3 years of experience related to the care and development of children.