Programs

OSDC provides an educational and nurturing environment for infants, toddlers, stompers, and preschoolers.

Two adults are always present in each classroom. There is a morning lead teacher and an afternoon lead teacher for each room who coordinate the program goals of each classroom, taking into consideration the individual needs of each diverse learner in their class. The youngest three classrooms also have a full time assistant teacher.

The following chart describes the age ranges and adult to child ratios in each room:

Room	Age Range	Adult to Child Ratio	Licensed # of Children
Infant	3 - 15 months	1:3 or 2:7	7
Toddler	12 months - 24 months	1:4 or 2:9	9
Stomper	2 - 3 years	1:4 or 2:9	9
Preschool	2.9 - 5 years	1:10 or 2:15	15

Program Goals By Classroom

Infant: 3 Months - 15 Months
We are licensed for 7 children (usually we have only 6),
for an adult to child ratio of 1:3 or 2:7.

Program Goals:

To care for infants in a warm, affectionate way that lets each child know that s/he is a special person, including the physical affection and cuddling essential at this stage of development.
To encourage the development of trust between infant and caregiver.
To meet each child’s emotional and physical needs.
To provide opportunities for exploring, learning, and social interaction through a variety of daily activities.
To prepare activities to stimulate the senses by recognizing that infants learn through the use of their senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
To care for children in small groups in order to prevent over-stimulation and provide opportunities for 1 to 1 interaction between children and staff.
To provide opportunities for the use of large and small motor skills development.
To provide consistency between center care and home care practices that will be most beneficial to the infant and will offer the parents an opportunity to influence the kind of care their child receives. However, we recognize that infants may naturally fall into a different schedule and have different needs once in group care.

Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
We are licensed for 9 children, for an adult to child ratio of 1:4 or 2:9.

Program Goals:

To provide a balance of physical affection and autonomy, in which children are encouraged to explore and discover.
To foster self-help skills such as feeding, dressing, and caring for oneself which lead to a feeling of self-accomplishment.
To stimulate and develop each child’s senses and creative expression through different art mediums such as: sand, water, paint, shaving cream, playdoh, etc.
To provide opportunities for learning through social interactions with one another.
To develop beginning cognitive and language development skills through books, pictures, music, and drama.
To help build gross motor control through climbing, dancing, exercise, and other fun games.
To build upon children’s natural curiosity of the world around them through music, social studies, science experiments, cooking, and mathematics.
To build a home-school partnership that provides consistency for each child and builds upon his/her strengths, as well as creates goals for areas needing improvement.

Stompers: 2 Years - 3 Years
We are licensed for 9 children, for an adult to child ratio of 1:4 or 2:9.

Program Goals:

To meet each child’s emotional and physical needs while encouraging autonomy and the ability to make appropriate choices.
To help children express their own feelings by modeling both verbal and non-verbal language for them.
To encourage exploration and self-discovery by offering child-centered, hands-on activities during the day.
To help children learn how to resolve conflicts and negotiate relationships with those around them.
To encourage children to challenge themselves with projects, rather than by doing things for them.
To provide ample opportunity for the use of gross motor skills and coordination through physically active play either indoors or outdoors.
To provide each child with support, stimulation, and a variety of experiences to help him/her grow cognitively, emotionally, socially, and physically.
To form relationships of mutual trust and respect with parents; working collaboratively to meet the needs of the children in the classroom.

Preschool: 2.9 Years - 5 Years
We are licensed for 15 children, for an adult to child ratio of 1:10 or 2:15.
Program Goals:

To meet each child’s physical needs while encouraging independence and self care.
To provide an atmosphere in which children have respect for others and establish respect for the equipment and materials in the classroom.
To provide a relaxed, loving, and calm atmosphere where self-concept is enhanced, independence and choices are encouraged, and self-discipline is gained in an environment with clearly defined limits and expectations.
To provide a wide variety of activities, within a routine, in which cooperative play is encouraged. These activities should be drawn from the curricular areas of: art, math, science, cooking, music and movement, social studies, practical life, dramatic play, language arts, and manipulative activities.
To develop in the child an active curiosity about the world in which s/he lives and an enthusiasm for learning that stimulates exploratory behavior and creativity.
To provide ample opportunity for the use of large motor skills and coordination through physically active play either indoors or outdoors.
To foster in each child an appreciation for beauty and nature.
To be supportive of parents by encouraging involvement, and maintaining open and honest communication with tact and discretion.