Child care can get complicated and expensive. This is a particular problem for college students with young children.
Fortunately, the Tim & Brenda Huval Child Care Center educates the young children of Salt Lake Community College students who take classes at South City Campus.
“If you are a student at SLCC, they really cater to you,” says Leah Walker, a teacher of 3 to 5-year-olds.
The Tim & Brenda Huval Child Care Center, which started six years ago, is no ordinary child care center.
Children learn math, science, language and literacy, creative expression and art every day. A mixture of learning and playing is part of the structured, well-balanced curriculum.
Social skills are also a big part of the program. Each day the children have “circle time,” where the class sits in a group, reads stories, answers get-to-know-you questions and enjoys group activities.
After circle time is “center.” Children break up into smaller groups so teachers can provide focused attention to the children, depending on their needs.
Children in the South City Campus child care program work with well-trained teachers.
Each year, teachers at the Tim & Brenda Huval Child Care Center must undergo 160 hours of training.
“Our teachers are highly qualified,” says Walker.
Teachers learn CPR, first aid, fire extinguisher usage, earthquake preparedness and food handling. On-the-job training is also provided so teachers maintain a high level of effectiveness.
The Tim & Brenda Huval Child Care Center operates independently from the Eccles Early Childhood Development Lab School at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
A child care voucher is available to students who are Pell grant eligible or can prove that an economic hardship is present. The amount of financial assistance, which maxes out at $700, will depend on the credit hours and/or hourly enrollment.
The child care program at South City Campus helps the next generation of students to succeed in the classroom.
“They really want us to keep the children engaged in learning, and encourage us to provide great child care,” says new hire Celia Maldonado.
